a lesson in romantics
by cherryblossomthundercrash
Summary: He cursed the way his heart stuttered in his chest whenever he saw her and he hated how impatient he got when she's not in the room. Surely, he wasn't so foolish as to fall in love with a woman who was 1) four years his senior, 2) still in love with his brother, and most importantly, 3) his own teacher.
1. one

_**chapter o n e**_

Haruno Sakura was a thing of the past. She belonged to the summer; a little girl with scrawny arms and unruly pink hair and a big, loud mouth. She belonged in gold sand and clear blue waters and an even golder sun, fireflies in mason jars and frozen watermelon slices and sitting in front of the electric fan on the hottest day of the season. She belonged in the house right next to Uchiha Madara's empty home, where he'd last seen her almost six years ago. She had been his childhood best friend−or, actually, she was _his older brother's childhood best friend_; he was just the third-wheeler, the child these two teenagers had to constantly look after. She had lived next to the Uchiha's summer home in Suna, their next-door neighbor for a month.

And yet here she was, in Sasuke's classroom. She leaned against a podium in front of the whole class, dressed like he's never seen her before. She wore a button up shirt and a pencil skirt, totally different from the faded, raggy shirts and shorts he was so used to seeing her in, with lips as red as the apples they used to pick from her backyard. She cleared her throat with regal authority and the classroom chatter came to a halt, leaving all conversations unfinished in the air. They're all wondering who this new person was and all Sasuke could think was _what the fuck is she doing here?_

"Well, stop gawking and take your seats! We're about to start class."

There was shuffling and desks grinding and quiet murmurs. Only when it was completely silent that Sakura continued, "Let's keep this quick and simple, okay? I'm Haruno Sakura, your new homeroom teacher. As you all know, Kurenai-sensei has gone on maternity leave, so you'll be stuck with me until graduation! Call me Haruno-sensei and refer to me with respect−" her friendly and cheerful smile slowly turned into a menacing one. It was a look Sasuke recognized immediately, the look she made when she's pissed off and likely to kick someone's ass. "I may be young, but I'm still your teacher. We can all get along or I can make the rest of your senior year a living hell; your choice." Her cheerful disposition took over once again, "Now, let's take roll!"

Sasuke took the moment to assess the changes Sakura had gone through over the years. Her hair had been long the first time he met her. It was long and silky and smooth, falling just past her waist. But those long locks had been chopped away years ago. She had been thirteen and nine-year-old Sasuke had immediately asked who had done that to her hair, ready to fight whoever it was because it was unimaginable to him that she would cut it willingly herself, knowing how much she loved it−Sakura had laughed and Itachi patted him on the head with a sigh. He's mildly surprised that she has kept it short since then. Her eyes are still the same vivid green, but the red tint on her lips looked wrong. Beautiful, yes, but he's used to the natural pink of her lips, glossed over with the apple-flavored balm she always used. He watched those same pair of lips now, pursing as she gave a little pause before reading the next name on the list. Then he watched corners of her lips turn up in a small smile.

Her eyes, now bright with the childlike giddiness he distinctly remembered, lifted from the paper and scanned the room. He counted an entire 6 seconds before she found him in the very back. With her eyes locked on his, he could almost feel the scenery shift around him; the monotone ticking of the clock replaced by the sound of splashing waves and seagulls overhead. He couldn't help but think, once again, that she didn't belong here. She belonged to the summer.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

He swallowed. "Here."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Uchiha Sasuke was annoyed. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he was sure it had something to do with a particular pink-haired teacher. But let it be clear that he wasn't annoyed _at_ her, only _because_ of her.

It turned out that Sakura was not only taking over Kurenai's homeroom responsibilities, but the rest of her classes, as well. The second time he saw her that day was in Chemistry, a class even he, for all of his genius, didn't do so well in. As she launched into the lecture, prattling on about evolution and cells and whatnot, he found that he was listening more to her voice than her words. In the six years that he and Itachi failed to return to their summer house in Suna following their parents' death, he had lost complete contact with her. But hearing her voice now, speaking scientific names with the eloquence of a scholar fluent in Greek and Latin, may have awakened long-forgotten feelings from his adolescence. She'd been sixteen and in love with Itachi then. As for Sasuke? Well, he was only twelve.

He groaned inwardly now, as he walked home with his friends. Naruto, to his left, was yapping on about something he hadn't really been paying attention to while Karin and Suigetsu walked ahead, their conversations alternating between hushed tones and yelled curses. Suddenly aware of the lack of input (insults) coming from his friend, Naruto paused in his rant. "What's wrong with you, teme?"

Sasuke debated whether he should tell the other boy. The blonde knew about Sakura. He's known Naruto since the day he was born−at least that's what he'd been told−and the Uzumaki had asked where he disappeared to every summer when they were seven, so he told him about Suna and their neighbor Sakura, who was an older girl and who was really annoying but didn't seem to have cooties like all other girls. Finally, Sasuke sighed. If he was to tell anyone, it might as well be this idiot.

"That was Sakura," he muttered. He had remarked once that Naruto would like her if they'd met, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that this was how that would happen.

"Hm? Didn't catch that. Speak up, will ya!"

"That new teacher," he repeated, shoving his hands into his pockets, bashfully. "That was Sakura."

"Sa-ku-ra…." he repeated thoughtfully, as if trying to remember where he's heard the name from. "Wait, Haruno-sensei? She's _your_ Sakura?!"

"She's not _my_ Sakura, you dolt."

"Are you guys talking about the new teacher?" Karin shouted over her shoulder.

"Haruno-sensei is Sasuke's childhood crush!" Naruto shouted back, even though there was less than a few feet between them. Sasuke smacked the back his head.

"Don't say it like that!"

"She's pretty hot," Suigetsu added, raising a fist towards Sasuke. Sasuke looked down at it disdainfully. Suigetsu's approval somehow made him feel dirty.

"Say that one more time in front of your girlfriend," Naruto said, referring to his cousin who was glaring furiously at Suigetsu. At his words, Karin's glare turned on Naruto. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

All Sasuke could do was sigh as he kept walking. It's only their first day back for the second term of their final year and he's already lost at least a hundred and twenty brain cells from being surrounded by his idiot friends. Add to that his mini-reunion with one Haruno Sakura. Not to mention the college applications he had to start sending out soon. This year was going to be... exciting.

He walked ahead of his friends, just wanting to get home and get the day over with. By the time he reached their house, Itachi was already home, if his Benz parked in their driveway next to his own less luxurious beat-up car was any indication.

"Tadaima," he called out as he entered. One foot in and he could already smell food. He could hear his brother moving around in the kitchen, which was weird because they usually just get takeout or, on rare occasions, Shisui cooked. He dropped his backpack to the floor and set his shoes neatly to the side, before padding to the kitchen. Maybe he could casually bring up today's events, just to let Itachi know that a certain someone was in town. "You would not believe what happened today−oh. _Of course_, you're here."

"Okaeri, Sasuke-kun!"

Sitting on their barstool, watching Itachi prepare dinner, was no other than his new teacher.

"Sasuke," Itachi said, not once looking up from the stir fry he was making, "Sakura was just telling me that she got a job at your high school."

"A job," Sasuke repeated, rolling his eyes. That was a way to put it. "Did she tell you she's _my_ teacher?"

"I was about to get to that part!" she cried out.

He rolled his eyes, for the hundredth time that day, and went to join them at the counter. But before he could take the bar stool next to her, she grabbed him by the forearms, forcing him to face her. She looked up at him, almost bewildered. "Gods, you've grown so much!"

He stared down at her. She was still wearing her outfit from today, albeit unprofessionally now. She sat with her legs apart even though she wore a skirt, her sleeves were rolled up, and the top buttons of her shirt were undone. Without meaning to, his eyes lingered a little longer on her chest, and he smirked teasingly before moving away from her and taking his seat. "Hn. You too."

Catching the innuendo, she crossed her arms over her chest indignantly."Why, you little−!"

Whatever bickering that was about to ensue was disrupted by a clicking sound as Itachi turned off the stove and lifted the pan he was using to plate the meal. When he finished, he just leaned against the counter and appreciated his handiwork. He looked very pleased with himself, especially since he didn't prepare meals very often. Then he looked up at the two of them and smiled fondly. Sasuke heard his brother hum in contentment.

"Hm, surprising. This seems to be an eventful day," he said, remarking on the news that the two before him were now student and teacher, by some stupid twist of fate. Then something weird happened and Sasuke didn't really know what to make of it because Itachi was smiling and it's not a smile he'd seen before. Itachi smiled when he was happy, when he's proud of his little brother, when something amused him, when he remembered something funny… and they all looked like the same smile. But this, the one he's wearing right now, a small smile that has the corners of his lips curled up at the edges and his entire face glowing a color one shade paler than Sakura's hair. Sasuke just looked at him, slightly unnerved and very suspicious, until−"Shisui and I are engaged."

Of course that face has got to have something to do with Shisui.

Sakura gasped. "Itachi, that's… you're… oh my god… wow."

Sasuke, on the other hand, was more coherent. "Congratulations, nii-san."

Both of the brothers seemed to realize too late that Haruno Sakura hadn't been in their lives in six years and had no idea that Itachi was seeing someone. "Oh, right, my bad. Sakura, I'm sorry. I will introduce you and Shisui at the soonest possible time−" He was interrupted by a ringing phone, and by the sound of it, Sasuke knew it's his work phone. Itachi excused himself, moved to a corner of the room, and answered the call.

Sasuke watched Sakura from the corner of his eye. She was looking down at her hands. It seemed like just a few minutes ago, she was radiant as the sun, and now the news had dampened her mood. Something twinged in his chest, but before he could comprehend it, Itachi was back. He hurriedly apologized and promised to talk to her soon and catch up, all the while walking around to gather the things he needed for work. Lastly, he told Sasuke to drive her back home to her new apartment. "Enjoy dinner!" he said, as he walked out the door already looking tired before he even left.

"Who's Shisui?" Sakura asked after they've been left to sit in silence for a whole three minutes.

"Itachi's boyfriend of three years."

"Oh." She says, and it's such a small sound coming from her. "Boyfriend. Three years. Huh."

They ate dinner awkwardly−for him, at least. _He_ felt awkward. Because she was pushing herself and he could see perfectly through her watery smile and her polite laughter and her obviously divided attention. But he answered all of her questions all the same because there was still a glimmer in her eyes that was genuinely interested in what he's been up to.

"You don't have to drive me home, I can call a cab," she said after they finished dinner and after she had insisted on helping him wash the dishes and clear the table.

"I insist."

The drive to Sakura's apartment was quiet, except for when she instructed him to take a turn. She was still processing the whole thing and Sasuke couldn't really blame her. Even he was shocked, and he's known Shisui for years now. He's seen how Itachi's face lit up when the other man was around. He should have expected something like this. As for Sakura… well, she had no idea that Itachi liked men in the first place, had no idea that he was seeing someone, had no idea that he was in a serious committed relationship of that duration. Sasuke could see how it could be a lot to take in, especially when they haven't been in touch for six years. So, no, they didn't speak the whole drive to Sakura's apartment. No, they didn't speak until she invited him into her apartment and the two of them sat on the floor, with their backs against the perfectly good couch behind them. Ten bottles of strawberry-flavored rum that he's mildly surprised to find in her fridge were lined on the low table in front of them.

It wasn't until she was three bottles in that she started talking and talking and talking. He didn't really want to listen, not when she talked about Itachi and how she had loved him since they were twelve, and how they were so close, _so close_, she should have known. "That's why he was so dense," she said. "Or, maybe he wasn't dense−maybe he just didn't know how to tell me I just. wasn't. his. type."

"You know what's funny?" she asked after her fourth bottle.

"No."

"I didn't even know I still had those feelings until now, after all these years."

And it wasn't until she finished five that she started crying. She reached for a sixth, then a seventh. He didn't hold her while she cried, like he knew he was supposed to. It felt weird for him, to hold someone he hasn't seen in years while she cried over the brother he was so happy for. He didn't know how to hold her when she seemed to feel for Itachi what he thought he might be feeling for her, unrequited affections dug up from their childhood. So he got up and placed all the remaining bottles out of her reach. "You'll regret this in the morning, you know that, right?"

When her eyes grew heavy and her words slurred beyond recognition, he picked her up and carried her to her bed. "Sasuke-kun," she called out once he had tucked her in. "Thank you for staying."

For the past few hours, he'd almost forgotten that she was his teacher now. And him, being in her apartment in the middle of the night might not be a harmless thing anymore. But still, he placed two fingers on her forehead and dragged them down over her eyelids to close them.

"It's good to see you again, Sakura."


	2. two

_**chapter t w o**_

Sakura still had at least thirty minutes before class started, so she made a quick way to the teacher's break room for a cup of really strong coffee, strong enough to get her through the entire day.

Last night had been a mistake. A total embarrassment. First off, she was now a teacher and Uchiha Sasuke, who had once been like the most adorable little brother to her−a brother she only had once a month in every year, like a rental−was now her student. And it had been so unprofessional of her to have not only invited him into her apartment in the middle of the night, but also offered him a drink, which, thankfully, he declined. That could have been that but no, she just had to get drunk in front of her new pupil. And even worse, she had spilled her heart and soul and confessed to him her unrequited love for his older brother. _Pathetic_, she thought to herself, as she stood stirring her piping hot cup of coffee. How was she going to face him now?

"He probably thinks you're annoying," she muttered to herself. He has always said so. It's a fond memory to her now, little Sasuke crossing his arms over his chest, his lips in a pout and his cheeks puffed out. She giggled at the memory, picked up her cup of coffee, and pushed through her mild headache (_hangover_) and headed to class.

She entered the classroom and her students quieted down almost immediately. By the time she reached the podium, they were already sitting in their desks and looking up at her expectantly. Her eyes immediately found the Uchiha, whose bored stare immediately took note of the cup in her hand. He looked away smirking, which made her avoid looking at him at all, feeling her cheeks start to heat up. It had been a moment of weakness and a massive error on her part, and she would make a point to speak with him and apologize for her bad behavior. But for now, in a classroom of twenty-something kids, it felt like a secret between just the two of them.

She cleared her throat and started calling roll. As she reached the end of the attendance sheet, she felt a small sense of pride that she went through it more smoothly than yesterday. "Class President, I'll let you take the floor for class announcements." She then referred to the rest of the class, "It would help me get a feel for your class dynamics, since I'm new here and have yet to see how you guys interact in a productive manner."

Hyuuga Neji rose from his seat and confidently made his way to the podium. With the way he held himself, one would almost think that he was an actual president. When he cleared his throat, Sakura retreated to the teacher's desk in the corner of the room. She pretended to be doing something important by staring intensely at the computer screen that wasn't even turned on. She thought she was doing a pretty good job looking busy, until her phone buzzed from where it sat next to her keyboard. It was a text from an unknown number.

_Smart way of avoiding doing your job._

_\- Sasuke_

The jab made her stomach twist with guilt, and yet she couldn't fight the smile that played on her lips. She set her phone down and without looking away from her black mirror, said in an authoritative voice, "Phones away, class."

"You all heard Haruno-sensei," she heard Neji say, now seemingly annoyed that someone hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying. Viciously, he hissed, "Put your phone away, Uchiha."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sakura was sitting in her desk in the faculty office, massaging her temples and praying to more than one god that they would will this hangover away. She was about to groan when she suddenly became aware of a piece of tissue paper that seemed to have just magically manifested on her desk. She looked up and found Hatake Kakashi, the literature teacher, standing over her with his hands in his pockets. She could only stare at him, then at the tissue−now realizing that on it were two white tablets−then back at him again, brows furrowed in confusion.

He regarded her with bored, tired eyes. "Aspirin for your hangover," he answered, deadpan. His slack expression turned into an amused one at the shocked-bordering-terrified look on her face. He chuckled. "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Just take 'em and feel better." And just like that, he was already walking away.

After a moment, she wondered if she had been obvious all day or if he was simply that perceptive. She's only interacted with him a few times and she found him to be one of the more intimidating but interesting ones among her coworkers. He was a pretty strange fellow, walking around with a face mask that covered the lower half of his face−probably a germaphobe−and an orange book (that she recognized as the best-selling erotic novel her best friend Ino had once recommended to her) always in his hand−probably a pervert. Really, she should have better sense than to accept pills that came from strange men. But her head was killing her.

"Thanks, Kakashi-senpai!" she called after him, to which he only gave a half-hearted wave of dismissal without even looking back at her. She put the tablets in her mouth and downed them with the remnants of her morning coffee, now cold. But even aspirin wasn't a miracle worker and it would take at least a few more minutes before it took effect. She needed food.

Students greeted her as they passed her in the hallway, and she returned their greetings with a small smile, while others purposefully averted their gazes to avoid having to say anything to their teacher. She spotted familiar black spikes sticking messily out of an egotistic head just as she reached the vending machine.

Next to Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto was speaking animatedly and making wild gestures with his hands and his cousin Karin had her hands clenched at her sides, her eyebrows twitching with annoyance as she listened to whatever he was saying. Next to her, Hozuki Suigetsu snickered and she smacked him. Sakura didn't want to pry but couldn't help but be curious as she watched the two, bickering like cats and dogs yet walking so closely that the back of their hands brushed with every step, and every brush had her clenched fist relaxing more and more. _Interesting_…

Sakura did find Sasuke's friend group interesting. The three had such loud and aggressive personalities, the last type of people she would have thought he would pick to keep him company. But she guessed he needed that in his life, with the Uchiha always being so disciplined, perhaps he needed the riot these three provided.

Their eyes met just as his group reached the top of the stairs at the end of the hall opposite from her. He was saying something to Karin but paused when he saw Sakura. She smiled at him in greeting and gave a small wave, before turning her attention to the vending machine she came for. She got herself melon bread and water, then started making her way to the school rooftop.

Working at a high school almost made her feel nostalgic. Personally, high school had been some of the best years of her life. And in Suna, the roof had always been her spot.

She was halfway up the stairs when she heard her name−her _name_, not _Haruno-sensei_. She whirled around and, as expected, found Sasuke at least four steps below her. She looked around and realized that he was alone. "Where are your friends?"

"Why are you going to the roof?"

"To have lunch. Shouldn't you be with your friends?"

He let out an exhausted breath and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "They're being annoying right now," he shrugged.

She smiled. How very predictable. "I actually wanted to talk to you. Join me?"

He mutely nodded, sliding his hand into his pocket. They continued to make their way up the stairs in silence.

Sakura found that this rooftop was unlike the one in Suna. Beyond the chain link fence and the school grounds, she saw the never-ending bustle of the city. She saw tall buildings and skyscrapers and cars stuck in traffic and people, so many people, crossing along white lines on black asphalt tiny as ants. It was so different from the rural life she was surrounded by in Suna. She breathed in deep and looked up. That, at least, was the same blue sky.

"How's your hangover?"

"It's better," she sighed. "I already got something for my headache, I just need to fill my stomach then I'll be good."

Sasuke sat on the floor with his legs crossed and she inwardly cursed her skirt, which forced her to sit with her knees together sideways. She was starting to consider wearing slacks in the future on some days. "About last night," she started shyly, playing with the hem of her skirt, "I'm really sorry. You shouldn't have seen me like that. It was very unprofessional of me."

He shrugged carelessly. "I don't mind."

"I hope you don't misunderstand," she continued, tucking her hair behind her ear as a strong breeze came. "I'm really happy for Itachi. It just… came as a shock, is all."

"You don't owe me an explanation."

She regarded him softly. She adored this boy, who was no longer a boy. Uchiha Sasuke was probably five when she first met him, and even then he walked around with such an air of pride and confidence about him, as if he didn't identify as a five-year-old. If anything, he looked down on kids his age, thinking them simple-minded and childish. It was as if he just wanted to catch up to his onii-san already. Looking at him now, she thought maybe he already had.

There was wisdom in his silence and there was a weight to his eyes. A weight that hadn't been there the last time she saw him. She didn't know exactly what happened after their parents' deaths, but he had only been twelve then and she could only imagine what it had been like, being left to be raised by his seventeen-year-old brother. She had learned of their passing from her mother, but they weren't able to make it to the funeral because she was so busy, between school and her extracurriculars, and her parents were busy with their own jobs. But she had desperately wanted to come to Konoha then, to be with her boys in their time of need.

"So," she sighed, opting for lighter conversation. "What's the score between Karin and Suigetsu?"

He raised a brow and looked mildly surprised at her prying. "You catch on pretty fast," he said, a little impressed. "You're such a gossip."

She just shrugged, biting into her melon bread and waiting for an answer.

"They're fucking," he said, then paused. It took her a moment to realize that he was assessing her. Whether she was Sakura, his childhood friend, or Haruno-sensei, who should admonish her student for cussing so openly. When she didn't react, he continued, with almost a pitying look in his eyes, "He wants something more, but Karin… has her own issues. It's complicated.

Now that was surprising. The way those purple eyes always seemed to be roaming, she wouldn't have thought he would be the one wanting to be tied down. The shock might have been evident on her face because Sasuke was smirking at her. "Judgemental, aren't we," he said teasingly.

Sakura bit into her flavorful lunch and continued to pry into things that were absolutely none of her business. "What about you? You seeing anyone?" she asked, words muffled from literally biting off much more than she can chew. He looked so affronted by the question, his expression mirroring the exact same face he made as a child when she had teased him about the little girls in the neighborhood who were hopelessly pining after him. She couldn't help but laugh. And tease. "Sasuke-kun, girls don't have cooties. You should know that by now."

"Shut up, Sakura," he muttered. Pink dusted his cheeks and colored in the tips of his ears, and she couldn't help but squeal and reach over to pinch his cheek. "You're adorable."

He batted her hand away. "Oi. Annoying."

She sat back down and crossed her arms over her chest, feigning hurt. "Leave me, then," she said, "like you left your _annoying_ friends."

He shot her an unimpressed look, but didn't make a move to leave. If anything he moved closer to her so that they were sitting side by side rather than across from each other. Wordlessly, he leaned down and stole a bite off of her melon bread. "Hey!" She smacked him on the shoulder and moved the hand that held her food further away from him.

He grunted, chewing smugly. "I was preoccupied last night so I didn't have time to prepare lunch for today."

"I already feel bad about last night. Quit guilt tripping me," she grumbled, breaking her melon bread in half. She feigned reluctance in handing him his half, but she couldn't help but feel nostalgic, remembering all the times they had spent in front of Chiyo-baachan's convenience store sharing snacks while they waited for Itachi to come back from the public library.

She glanced at him and found that he had stuffed half of his piece in his mouth, making his cheeks full and round. She couldn't help but let out a giggle, and he instantaneously glared at her. "You're so cute, Sasuke-kun!"

"Shut _up_, Sakura."

They spent the remaining 20 minutes of lunch talking−well she talked. He listened. Typical.

She told him about how much Suna had changed in the absence of him and his brother, and how much she missed them, and how she tended to the flowers outside of Uchiha Madara's home all these years. She told him about her own high school career and how different it was here, even down to the uniforms they wore. She told him about being a teacher and her worries for this semester. She even bashfully confided in him how insecure she had been after last night, about being unprofessional and lesser than the other teachers in the school. "You can be yourself when you're with me." He spoke up for the first time, though his head was turned to the side as he watched everything beneath them. "You're their teacher but you'll always be just Sakura to me. That doesn't mean I respect you any less."

The sentiment made her blush, filling her with such warm and soft feelings. She threw her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him tightly. He shrugged her off and shot her an annoyed look, before handing her the small piece that was left of the bread they shared. "Here. You can have the last bite."

"You finish it," she said, adamantly shaking her head. She'd finished hers a full ten sentences ago. Besides, she'd already eaten at least a quarter of the whole melon bread before she'd split it into two. "I already ate more than you."

"You used to always say that the last bite was your favorite−open up." She was about to protest but he'd already taken advantage of her open mouth and shoved the small piece inside. She pouted at him while she chewed, inwardly thankful because the last bite really was the best part.

She was still chewing when he clicked his tongue when he saw the mess she made on her face, before grabbing her face in his hands. He wiped around her mouth with the side of his fist and she whined at how aggressively he rubbed her skin, but she didn't move away from him. Eventually, he dropped his fist and swiped his thumb on the corner of her mouth. She swallowed the rest of it down when she felt his finger tracing her lower lip. There was a dazed look in his eyes as he kept his gaze on her mouth. "S-Sasuke-kun?" His hand retracted fast and was replaced by her own as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand just for good measure. "Is it gone?"

He nodded. "Aa. You're… y-yeah, you're good. _Ihavetogo_."

He stood up quickly, almost fumbling and tripping over himself along the way. She looked after him, a little dazed and confused. _I wonder why he's in such a hurry all of a sudden_, she thought, unconsciously touching her lower lip where the trailing of his thumb still lingered.

* * *

**a/n**: i'm pretty late bc time zones but _HAPPY SAKURA DAY! _i wish i could have written a skr birthday chapter but in this fic i'm trying to follow the school year schedule in japan and this one's set in ssk's second semester so that's around september. anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review, they're much appreciated!


	3. three

_**chapter th r e e**_

Uchiha Itachi had always dreamt of going to Oto University. It was where his father went, and his father before him. And at eighteen, of course, being the genius that he was, he got accepted. Even offered a position in an elite apprenticeship program under the renowned headmaster Orochimaru himself. But after their parents' deaths, leaving his little brother alone in Konoha was unimaginable for him. So he stayed and opted to attend the local university instead.

Sasuke knew how much Oto meant to his brother. He appreciated Itachi's sacrifice, that he chose him over his own dream, his pride, his glory. Itachi could have lived up to his full potential had he been under the direct tutelage of Orochimaru, and Sasuke had at times felt that he held his brother back. But Itachi's always made it clear that he was happy here, that he had no regrets in passing up that opportunity, that he's found his own success in Konoha.

And now that Sasuke was months away from graduating, a selfish part of him was motivated by the fact that by going to Oto, he would be able to do one thing Itachi didn't. Maybe if he got into Oto, he could finally remove himself from his brother's shadow.

Sasuke's brow twitched as he stared at the glaring red mark on the top right corner of his paper. _58_. A month into the second semester and he's already bombed the first test. Chemistry had never been his best subject, but even on his worst test he has never gotten anything lower than 80. He had already been struggling in the subject as it was, and Sakura replacing Yuhi-sensei was not making it any easier for him. With her up there, he found himself getting too distracted. Distracted by that mop of pink hair that swayed smoothly with her every movement, by her big green eyes that grew vivid behind massive goggles whenever she demonstrated experiments for the class, by the sound of her voice, and the clicking of her heels and the exposed skin of her long legs whenever she wore a skirt−

_Get a grip, Uchiha_.

If he continued to score this low, Oto University's admission office would not spare his application a second glance.

He turned in his swivel chair and watched what was supposed to be a group study session. But the way things looked, one would have thought he'd simply invited his friends over just to hang out. Naruto and Suigetsu were sitting on the floor of his bedroom, playing the video game Itachi had gotten him for his eighteenth birthday−along with the new old beat-up Chevrolet. They shouted over each other as if the loud music and violent sound effects that came from the speakers still weren't enough noise. Their textbooks and worksheets laid long-forgotten on the floor by the bed. And on the bed was Karin, lying on her back as she held her phone over her face, texting and scrolling away. He scowled at her.

"Stop scowling at me, Uchiha," she said, her eyes never leaving her phone. "I did warn you that this will never work."

He couldn't argue with that. The redheaded Uzumaki had gotten a whooping 97 on the test, complete with a big red star courtesy of Haruno-sensei. Naturally, they had begged her to tutor them−the two did, at least; Sasuke would never beg, he simply requested. Naturally, she was reluctant, knowing that her cousin and her not-quite-boyfriend had little focus and self-control. Even less when they were together. Naturally, she was right.

Karin scoffed. "You're not any better than them, you know." She got up from his bed and walked over to his desk, already certain of what she would find. The worksheet she had given him over half an hour ago was still blank, if not for his name and the date at the top. She shot him a disappointed look. This was to be expected of the other two, but not him.

Sasuke, at least, had the decency to look even remotely remorseful for having forced her into this and stolen hours of her life she could never get back.

She sat back down at the edge of his bed, elbows on her knees and her chin resting on the palms of her hands. She looked at him, almost in wonderment. "Wow, you're really not used to failure, are you." He glared at her. "Why don't you just get your girlfriend to tutor you?"

"_Or_ why don't you just give her sexual favors in exchange for good grades?"

Sasuke was about to grab the heaviest book among the ones that lined his desk, but Karin had already grabbed the digital alarm clock that sat on the shelf above his bed and threw it at Suigetsu's back. The boy yelped in pain, cursing loudly, and even Sasuke had to wince after having heard the loud slap of the clock hitting his back.

"Don't talk about Haruno-sensei like that, you cretin. She's a respectable person," she admonished. "And not all women are willing to give up whatever you want in exchange for sex!"

Suigetsu grumbled something under his breath before pausing the game. Naruto hollered, but his playmate was already on his feet. "I need a smoke." He walked over to the window, between Sasuke and Karin, and slid it open before lighting the cigarette in his mouth.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look−the former confused, the latter curious. They turned their stares on Karin, then Suigetsu, then back again. They've been fighting more and more these past few days and Suigetsu didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight anymore.

"What's going on with you two?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," Karin shot back too quickly. Next to her, the boy scoffed but she ignored him. "What about you, what's going on between you and that second year, huh?"

This one, Sasuke was clueless about. But Naruto was taken aback, and his only course of action was to redirect the attention to someone else. "Teme, what's going on between you and Haruno-sensei?!"

"Wait, which second year?"

"The punk with the eyeliner and the forehead tat," Karin grinned at Sasuke.

He scoffed. "Really, Naruto? _Gaara_? He's so out of your league, dobe."

Because Naruto's cheeks were so tan, they only grew shades darker when he blushed. "Well, Haruno-sensei's out of _your _league!" he shouted back at him, pointing and pouting.

"Well, unlike you, I'm not trying to get into Sakura's pants so it doesn't really matter," he spun his seat boredly. He hadn't been thinking when he'd said the words, and as soon as they left his mouth, he realized he'd rather not dwell on them too much.

"As if," Karin scoffed.

"Quit lying to yourself now, Sasu-kun," Suigetsu laughed.

He rolled his eyes, seemingly unbothered. It was always easy for Sasuke to play it cool. He could always pretend to offhandedly ignore his friends' teasing and their suggestive comments about him and Sakura, but that didn't mean they went unheard and him unaffected. With each jab from them, his thoughts would always veer closer and closer into dangerous territory.

He rose from his chair and joined Suigetsu at the open window. The other boy handed him the cigarette, and he put it in his mouth, inhaling deeply and holding it in.

He mulled over what Karin had said previously−ignoring that she referred to the older woman as his girlfriend.

He'd been spending much of his time with Sakura. He met her at the roof at lunch and spent at least half an hour with her every day. And for the past three weeks, she had come over to his house at least twice to have dinner or just to hang out with him and Itachi. They've been spending so much time together it shouldn't be too much to ask for her to help him on her own subject.

But in the back of his mind, he knew that they were spending _too _much time together, which also had its negative effects on him. On the one hand, he enjoyed being in her presence. He liked listening to her talk and watching the light change in her ever expressive eyes as she spoke. He also liked when she sat so close to him that he could inhale the fruity smell of her hair. But on the other hand, Sasuke could no longer stand being apart from Sakura. It was a dependent sort of attachment that he wanted to shake off. He cursed the way his heart stuttered in his chest whenever he saw her but he hated how impatient he got when she's not in the room. Surely, he wasn't so foolish as to fall in love with a woman who was 1) four years his senior, 2) still in love with his brother, and most importantly, 3) his own teacher.

He exhaled and watched the cloud of smoke rise until it was nothing.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

"Sakura, hey."

Sasuke had been boredly clicking through channels on the TV when he heard her name spoken from the kitchen. Curious, he got up from the couch and padded over to where his brother was sitting on the dining table. He was on the phone−with Sakura, most likely−while he sifted through piles and piles of documents, papers scattered all across the table. He was talking about busy schedules and Shisui and dinner one night in the next week. His eyes flitted over to him momentarily, then he adjusted his glasses which were already way down the slope of his nose. "Sasuke's lurking by the doorway, I think he's meaning to say hi," Itachi said into phone, only a hint of teasing in his otherwise occupied tone. "Sakura says hi, otouto."

Sasuke scowled at him, but stepped into the room anyway. He hadn't been _lurking_. "Ask her if she's busy."

Itachi gave him a curious look.

"I…" he swallowed thickly−he swallowed his pride. "I did badly on her Chemistry test. I need her to tutor me. If she's not so busy."

His older brother had an amused look on his usually impassive face as he asked the pink-haired woman for a favor in Sasuke's behalf. Sasuke stood there awkwardly, leaning against the chair across from Itachi, an outsider to their conversation. "That would be great, thank you. I'll see you later, then." Itachi then turned to Sasuke. "She'll be here in an hour."

He scribbled something on one of his files before gathering some of the scattered pages and filing them in a neat stack. He tiredly rose from his seat and placed his glasses on the table. "Do you want coffee? I'm brewing."

Sasuke shook his head.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Itachi said as he paused to stand next to him. He pressed two fingers to his forehead. "You don't always have to ace every exam."

_But _you _did_, was all Sasuke could think as his brother busied himself with his cup of coffee.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sasuke waited for her in the living room, still boredly clicking through channels. He was about to settle on the news channel when the front door opened and in came his guest of honor. His brows knitted almost immediately. _How the fuck does she have our house keys?_ He could hear her slipping her shoes off by the genkan and entering their home without preamble, as though she was coming into her own house.

But it would be wiser for him to hold his tongue, especially when he was the one who needed her help and asked her to come over in the first place.

He rose from his seat and looked at her for the first time. She wore a hoodie that was zipped up all the way and yoga pants that outlined the shape of her hips. She looked disheveled, with her hair up in a messy bun, exposing her creamy, slender neck, while stray strands stuck to her face. She smiled bashfully at him. "Sorry, I'm gross and sweaty. I came here straight after hitting the gym."

_No, not at all_, he wanted to say, but kept it to himself. _Sweaty, maybe. But not gross. Not gross at all_.

"Itachi," he called out. "We're going upstairs!"

"You kids have fun!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Nothing about this was going to be fun. Studying with post-workout Sakura? This was going to be hell.

He led her up to his room, choosing to walk ahead of her because he did not need to see her backside in those tight pants. But the moment they reached his room, she immediately threw herself onto his bed. She fell onto her stomach, her face buried in his pillow, and the perfect curve of her ass in plain view. She let out a muffled groan.

Right. Hell.

He averted his gaze. He walked over to his desk and busied himself preparing his Chem notes and his textbook. He took his seat and patiently waited for his tutor to gather herself. He did feel slightly apologetic, though; it was Friday night, she just got back from the gym, and she should be resting but instead he'd practically asked her to work overtime.

"I'm really glad that you asked for help, Sasuke-kun," she said, and he almost jumped because of how close she sounded, her mouth right next to her ear. And then she was leaning over him, one hand on the back of his seat and the other on the desk right next to his paper. She turned her head to smile at him, and he had to pull back a little because she was so close that the tip of her nose almost skimmed his cheek. "It's always best to be proactive."

She pulled out the seat next to him, a plastic chair he had brought up earlier in preparation. "Let me look over your test and see where you need help the most. Then, we can go from there."

He wordlessly handed her his paper and watched as her brows knitted in concentration as she looked over his exams, reading the marks she herself had previously scribbled all over the place. She had the tip of her pen pressed against her plump lower lip, and he was reminded of how soft it was against the pad of his thumb when he had absentmindedly touched her that one day over a month ago.

He enjoyed seeing her so focused. Her face now was the exact same face she wore when they had been kids, catching bugs in mason jars at her grandmother's garden.

She breathed out as she lowered his paper to the desk, and beamed at him.

That, too, was a face he remembered from that time, her victorious smile when she caught a giant grasshopper that she would release back into the wild when the day was over.

"So, you're not entirely a hopeless case," she teased. "You struggle most with stoichiometry−which is completely understandable. It _is_ confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually quite fun." She pulled her hair tie out momentarily only to pull her hair up into a tight ponytail.

He grimaced at her use of the word _fun_. Scientists and mathematicians were sadists. The person who _combined _science and math was just pure evil. Figures that this was her idea of fun.

Just as he expected, the ensuing hour was not fun by any means. He was stuck between balancing equations and converting moles to atoms and trying to keep his traitorous eyes off of his teacher. He shook off his hormones within the first grueling ten minutes and focused on how desperately he needed to pass her class.

She wrote out formulas and broke down complex concepts into simpler terms. Sasuke was naturally a fast learner and without the distraction of their classroom environment, he was beginning to grasp her explanations better. She would pause after each explanation to check if he understood what she was saying and when he did, she would make him explain it in his own words. He was considerably less smooth when he spoke, but he still had her eyes twinkling with approval.

When Sakura yawned for the third time in two hours, he feigned his own exhaustion and decided to call it a day. He was only starting to get the hang of things and actually doing fairly confidently on the exercise questions she had given him. He was on a roll and he would even begrudgingly admit that he was _having fun solving problems_. But even though her supportive smile was genuine, he could still see that she was truly tired, so he sighed and stretched his back against his chair. "I at least understand this section now," he sighed. "We can save the rest for next time."

"You're doing well. I'm really proud." She reached over and tousled his hair. He clicked his tongue and tried to pull away, but she gently tugged on his bangs and forced him to meet her eyes. "It was just one test, Sasuke-kun. It's not the end of the world."

"I know," he grumbled. He whined when she gave his hair another shake.

He walked her to the top of the stairs and watched as Itachi walked her to the front door. He watched them interact, his older brother's hand so casual and careless when he touched her. There was truly a different light in her eyes when she was with Itachi and it almost reminded him of Itachi's own eyes when he was with Shisui. He wondered how she could stomach being friendly with him, knowing that he would never return her feelings. But then he realized that he didn't have to wonder. It was exactly how he felt.

Sakura looked up at him and wordlessly waved a small goodbye. He nodded, retreating to his room just as Itachi opened the front door for her.

Tiredly, Sasuke walked over to his bed and sat on the edge. He looked over his shoulder to the spot where she had laid in. He fell into it, lying on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow. It still smelled like her, but the scent wasn't soft like it usually was. This smell was stronger and sharper, probably her deodorant after sweating so much. It was the overwhelming smell of freshly-sliced apples. He groaned hopelessly. What was he doing, sniffing and feeling his sheets for any remnants of her that he could hold onto, like a perverted freak.

He flipped himself onto his back and shut his eyes, willing himself to think of something else. Anything to get his mind off her. But with his eyes closed, the brilliant color of her eyes and her wild pink hair and her fluttery pink lashes and her pink lips−pink, so pink everywhere that he started to wonder if she was pink down below, as well−only proved to be more vivid. And he was absolutely aching between his legs.

He covered his eyes with his arm as his other hand reluctantly snaked down his stomach. He paused just as his fingertips slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers, his conscious mind wrestling against the basest of his urges. The latter won.

His breath hitched as his fingers wrapped around his member, hot and throbbing in his hand. He hesitantly moved his hand in a downward stroke once, then once more, until he was pumping himself up and down and gritting his teeth in pleasure. He's too far lost in the sensation to feel bad about it. He thought of a different hand touching him, stroking him, squeezing him. He bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from making too much noise.

His pace grew faster, more frenzied, as he lost himself in his imagination. He gasped and grunted, and he felt himself twitching in his grip as he neared completion. At the thought of her hot, wet tongue flat against his cock, he came undone. He threw his head back in a silent cry and thrusted his hip up as his orgasm ripped through him. He gave a few final rough strokes before his body collapsed into a heaving, panting, sweaty mess.

The afterglow only lasted for a few seconds then he became all too aware of the sticky wetness in his boxers that also covered his hand. Shame, regret, and disgust washed over him and he ran his clean hand over his face and his damp hair.

He was pathetic.

But she was damn annoying.


	4. four

_**chapter f o ur**_

Sakura loved teaching. She loved her job, loved her students, even loved her co-teachers. But she loved this, too: taking her heels off after a long day of standing and talking in a room full of teenagers, taking her blazer off and leaving it wherever it landed, and slipping her bra off through the top of her shirt so she could finally breathe.

Settling in the comfort of her apartment, she turned on the TV, took a quick shower, put on her baggiest shirt and sweats. She treated herself with a glass of wine and lounged in her couch. A stupid movie was on, but picking up the remote to look through channels was too time-consuming so she just left it. It was mostly background noise anyway, as she flipped through her lesson plan for the following weeks. She would occasionally look up though, because it was pretty entertaining. It had ninjas, your male protagonist who wins everything with the power of sheer will and perseverance, your pretty female lead who just wants to become strong−and surprise, surprise, happens to be in love with the tall, dark, and handsome, asshole-with-feelings character, plus there's also your resident comic relief in the background. She scoffed. The whole thing was too stereotypical.

As she took a sip of her wine and flipped over to the next page of her material, she couldn't help but think of what Sasuke would say if he found her watching something like this for entertainment. Maybe he wouldn't even say anything, just look at her with utter disgust and disappointment. She felt herself begin to smile, then frowned at the thought.

_Wait_, she shook her head. That she knew exactly how he would react and the way she could even already see him calling the movie stupid but watching it intently anyway... _We really have been spending too much time together, huh_.

She was yanked out of her thoughts when her phone started vibrating on the coffee table.

"Sakura! You haven't called all week. If I had known you would forget about your mother the minute you left home, I never would have let you go!"

It wasn't until she heard her mother's voice on the other end of the line that she realized she had been expecting to hear Sasuke's.

"Kaa-san," Sakura said softly, in contrast to her mother's rough and admonishing tone. "Don't be ridiculous, I didn't forget you. I've just been really busy lately."

She closed her notes and set them on the table, before sinking back into the couch to make herself comfortable. She finished the rest of the wine in the glass. This was going to be a long phone call.

"Not too busy to eat and stay hydrated, I hope. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Kaa-san," she groaned into her phone, throwing her head back in frustration. "Please, I'm fine. Stop scolding me like a child."

"Well, excuse me for caring about my daughter," the older woman grumbled. "And how are your boys? Taking care of you, I hope."

She ran a hand through her damp pink tresses and pulled slightly. She loved her mom, she swore she did. Haruno Mebuki was a strong and loving woman who took no shit from anybody, a real role model to her daughter. Sakura had gotten her mother's temperament and some of her strong, domineering personality, but Mebuki still had her beat.

"It's not their job to take care of me. And I don't need them to take care of me−I can do that myself," she said firmly. When no reply came, softly, she added, "I'm seeing them tomorrow. Itachi's finally introducing me to his fiancé. And as for Sasuke-kun… funny story, Kakashi-senpai−the one I told you about, with the mask−told me it was inappropriate to be spending so much time with him outside of class. So I haven't really seen much of him lately."

The older man had caught her coming out of the library earlier that week. As they walked, he began telling her that people were starting to notice how she and Sasuke seemed to be disappearing to the roof everyday, and that people−teachers and students alike−have started _talking_. When she asked exactly what they were talking about, he only waved his paperback of the infamous _Icha Icha_ novel in her face. The insinuation was duly noted. Then he looked down at the book and thoughtfully added, "You'd be surprised; student/teacher relationships is quite a big sub genre in erotica."

There was a pause, then she heard her mother breathe out. "Well," she said, voice still hard but finally calm. "I can see where he's coming from."

"Yeah, ridiculous because Sasuke-kun's like a brother to me but−yeah, I get it." It was annoying that people couldn't just mind their own business, but she was a teacher and she should maintain the same professionalism with the Uchiha that she did with his peers. Doing otherwise would border into favoritism. "But this is a good thing, I guess. I'm getting a sense that Sasuke-kun doesn't really wanna spend time with me anymore."

"Oh? How so?"

She remembered how disappointed she had been when she told him they couldn't meet up anymore. He'd asked why and she'd told him what Kakashi had said.

"Since when did you care what people thought?" he had asked.

"Since I realized that what people thought could get me fired _and _blacklisted."

She had expected more of a protest on his part, but he just shrugged and said okay. She hasn't seen him outside of the classroom since then.

Sakura shrugged. She leaned forward and refilled her glass with more wine. She took a sip before telling her mother about the boy's recent behavior.

Sasuke has always been quiet, but he seemed almost withdrawn in the days leading up to their last Monday alone. There was a tension in his silence and the gap he put between them, opting to sit further from her when he used to sit so close she would be overwhelmed by the cool mint scent of his soap. And he flinched when her hand so much as accidentally grazed him, and he would snap at her whenever she got too playful. Perhaps she'd overstayed her welcome.

"Well, he shouldn't be spending time with an older woman anyway," her mother said callously, a grin evident in the sound of her voice. "He should be with kids his age, maybe even get a girlfriend or something. Too pretty to be single, that one."

"Kaa-san, he's too young. He needs to focus on his studies."

Sasuke's friends were dating. She had seen Karin and Suigetsu share tender moments when they thought nobody was watching. And she'd seen Naruto make a fool of himself, blushing like a virgin bride, whenever he was anywhere near Gaara. So it would only be natural for Sasuke to be with someone, but...−_but what, Sakura?_

"He's not a little boy anymore, you know. You sound more overprotective than Ita-kun−send my regards to the couple, by the way."

"I will. Besides, we shouldn't be talking about Sasuke's love life−or lack thereof−anyway…"

"You're right, you're right."

Sakura was mildly shocked. Her mother rarely conceded to anything. She slapped her forehead as her mother continued, "We should be talking about you! _You_ need to get yourself a boyfriend. You're not getting any younger, girl."

She groaned yet again. "Kaa-san, I don't have time to meet new people." And sarcastically, she added, "I'm too busy grooming the future generation."

"Yeah? Well, you could be grooming the future generation of Harunos, if you ask me."

"Kaa-san, i'm only twenty-two! I don't need to be popping babies out!"

And that's how Sakura spent what was supposed to be a relaxing Thursday night: bickering with her mother on the phone. They were shouting at each other and she was downing more glasses of wine than she should. There was a lot of frustration in this conversation, but there was also a lot of love. That's how it had always been in the Haruno household. They were tough and they were loud, but there was always a lot of love.

When Sakura's chest was heaving from shouting too much, her mother finally said, "Sleep well, Sakura."

And just like that, all the tension left her body. "Goodnight, kaa-san."

"Visit home soon. Your father's annoying when you're not around."

"I will. I miss you, too."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

"Bye, bye, sensei!"

"Have a good weekend, Haruno-sensei!"

"See you next week, Haruno-sensei!"

Sakura smiled and waved at her students as they passed her lab table on their way to exit the laboratory. As they filed out the door, she walked over to each station to make sure that the surfaces were clean and dry, the apparatus neatly arranged and the chemicals properly stowed away in the cabinet in the back. Once she was sure everything was in place, she untied her ponytail and shrugged off her lab coat. She gathered her things and locked up the room to head down to the vending machine.

Ever since she came here, she had always gotten her food at the vending machine, not willing to brave the throngs of students in the cafeteria. Kakashi-senpai had once told her that the key was to let her class out five minutes early so that she could have enough time to venture the cafeteria in peace before rush hour. She'd only rolled her eyes then, it being her first week and wanting to do her job right. Now, she was starting to consider actually trying it as she inserted coins into the machine in exchange for a can of iced coffee.

She started on her way back to the faculty room, drinking her refreshing cold coffee when she heard a chorus of squeals. "Kyaaa! Sasuke-kun!"

She choked on her drink. She looked around for the source of the commotion and found a gaggle of girls leaning outside of the second floor window, looking down at the Uchiha who was on the opposite side of the courtyard from her.

"These girls," she sputtered. They'd really risk falling out the window for this kid. Sasuke, meanwhile, was in the process of turning the faucet on and plunging his head under the running water. Judging by the white shirt and green sweats, he probably had just gotten out of PE. Sakura hid behind a pole as she saw Karin, with her red hair swinging in a ponytail, walk over to him. Why she felt the need to hide, she didn't entirely know. As the other girl approached, Sasuke turned off the water and held his hand out for the towel she brought, then she was gone as soon as she came.

It felt weird and wrong. It felt like she was spying on him, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to continue on her merry way. She was frozen, rooted in the spot as the Uchiha roughly dried his hair with the towel. When he was done and the material was soaked, he tossed it into the sink. The top of his shirt was already wet and parts of it clung to his body and when he swiftly yanked it over her head, Sakura felt her throat go dry.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair to keep it out of his face. He leaned against the side of the sink, in the direction facing her but he still didn't see her. She felt her entire face and her ears and her neck and even the pit of her stomach heat up. She was faced with the shirtless Uchiha, his hair slicked back and his head thrown back and his hands shoved into his pockets. He was breathing heavy, mouth parted and bare chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. She could see beads of water trace the side of his neck, down his chest and his ripped abdomen, disappearing further down…

"Good afternoon, Haruno-sensei!"

She nearly jumped as three girls who passed her greeted in unison. She smiled weakly at them and tried to regain her composure.

Her mother was right, she thought as she walked away from the scene. Uchiha Sasuke was definitely not a little boy anymore, she could see that now. She could see how much he had truly grown, how well puberty had done him. And maybe, just maybe, she was beginning to understand why those girls were halfway out the second floor window just to catch a glimpse of this boy−this young _man_.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

That night, Sakura found herself charmed by Uchiha Shisui in an instant.

He had a playful smile and a headful of soft curls. And when she had held out her hand during Itachi's introduction earlier, instead of shaking her hand he engulfed her in a one-armed hug and kept that arm slung across her shoulders as he led her to the kitchen. Where she was now seated in between Itachi and Sasuke, whose three colorful friends have also joined them for the night.

"Oh−dammit, I forgot," Shisui muttered, rising from his seat and out to the living room. When he came back, he had a fancy-looking wine bottle in his hand. He showed her and Itachi the year on the label. Sakura found it impressive and Itachi hummed in approval.

Naruto groaned. "Old people and their ancient grape juice fetish."

"You've got no right calling other people out on their fetishes, you furry."

"HEY!"

She found that Shisui liked to tease the younger ones, and this far into their meal, Sakura has found that their reactions were quite predictable: Naruto and Suigetsu would shout something defensively while their mouths were still full, Karin would bristle and respond cattily, and Sasuke would mutter a snide remark. Sasuke's remarks weren't new to her but it surprised her at first when she realized that there was real venom in the way he spoke to his brother's fiancé

She had looked to Itachi questioningly, but there was amusement in his eyes and he merely shook his head slightly at her, so she shrugged it off. Sasuke had always been very territorial when it came to his onii-san, so she guessed the not-so-half-hearted animosity was understandable.

She clinked glasses with the two men and was in the middle of savoring the wine's rich bittersweet taste when she felt eyes on her. Sasuke had already finished his and was in the process of pouring himself another one. His friends, however, were looking at her expectantly and with uncertainty.

She sighed. Well, they were being supervised by three adults and it's just wine, anyway. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. She shrugged. "If something happens, I didn't see anything."

Almost immediately, three pairs of hands were grabbing for the bottle Sasuke was still holding onto.

They continued to talk through the meal. She learned that Shisui was three years Itachi's senior and that they met when Itachi started to intern at the law firm Shisui was working at, which he founded with his uncle. When Shisui started talking about what a pain it was to date his boyfriend (who was, to her surprise, a blushing mess), she felt Sasuke shift in his seat and edge closer so that his thigh touched hers, all too aware of how the conversation was affecting her. The sentiment had her smiling and she reached down to squeeze his knee as thanks.

Shisui wanted to know her as much as she wanted to know him. He asked her about life in Suna and how she was holding up in Konoha and if she was having fun at her job. He was an easy guy to talk to, an easy guy to get along with, an easy guy to like. She could see how Itachi had fallen for him. And she could see, in person and up close, how Itachi's face lit up in a way she's never seen before now that Shisui was here.

"Do you guys have a date for the wedding yet?" she asked, lowering her utensils as she finished eating her dinner.

The couple shared a look while Sakura busied herself pouring more wine into her now empty glass. Another bottle of wine had been passed around at some point during dinner, and the younger Uchiha next to her had gotten rosy-cheeked and Naruto had started referring to her as _Sakura-chan_ instead of _Haruno-sensei_ with confidence. That was around the time Itachi had ordered the high schoolers to retreat to Sasuke's room so that the adults could talk ("Shisui," Naruto had drawled, "'Tachi-niisan said to leave the _adults_").

"We were thinking sometime next year," Itachi said slowly. "Nothing big. Probably just a courtroom wedding with the important people." At the last part, he touched his fingertips lightly to hers and her heart fluttered at the feeling of it. Then she watched his hand retreat and his other hand find the other man's. The fluttering in her heart turned into a dull ache but her smile remained true and genuine, as she watched them intertwine their fingers. She was happy for them, from the bottom of her aching heart, she truly was.

"That sounds nice," she said softly, "Simple. Intimate. Very you."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

When Itachi walked her to the front door by the time it was midnight, she paused and looked up at him. She took in the smile he couldn't seem to fight and the twinkle in his eyes… he was glowing. He was so in love with Shisui and she could see it plainly on his face.

She reached up and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and she almost broke when she felt his arms wrap around her waist just as tightly. "I'm so happy for you," she said, giving him one last squeeze before taking a step back. She took a deep breath. She had decided that she would do this after she had finished the third bottle of wine. She breathed out. "Can I say something that doesn't have to mean anything to you?"

The smile on his face turned downwards, brows furrowing with worry. He reached out to touch her arm, but she stepped back, avoiding contact. "Sakura, is everything alright?"

Her eyes began to sting with tears she tried to hold in and her throat began to close up, but she pushed the words out of her mouth. "I swear, please, don't dwell on this, okay? I don't mean to ruin everything and be selfish, but−but I have to do this for me−I'm sorry−" she breathed in sharply. "I still love you, Itachi." It hurt to say. It hurt to watch his expression switch from confusion to shock to a softened pitying look. "I've loved you since I was fourteen and I still love you now and I just−I think if I say this, if I let it out, I can−I can let myself let you go. I never stopped waiting for you. I thought that I was supposed to give you space and time and now… now, you're _engaged_−" she laughed humorlessly and blinked through unshed tears. "And I am genuinely happy for you, Itachi. Shisui is an amazing guy and I see how happy you are with each other. But I love you. And I'm hurting."

She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly too cold, suddenly too unsure of herself, too embarrassed.

"Sakura," he began, sounding just as lost. "I'm sorry for…"

"No, no, please don't say anything," she said, already backing away, out the door. She smiled her best smile. "I should go. I'll text you when I get home. Don't think too much on what I said, _please_."

She felt full; full of emotions, of love she doesn't know what to do with, of tears… and she hurried to her car as the feeling only got more unbearable with each second. She shook her head when he called after her, hating the way he said her name. It wasn't until she was in her Jeep that she let a sob escape her lips. It wasn't until she saw his figure retreat into the house that she let it all out.

She cried for his soft, little touches and the way he smiled at her and how tenderly he looked at her. She sobbed, heartbroken and almost grieving, but there was no resentment here. She wailed and expelled him from her system, letting these emotions that she felt with every fiber of her being out through her eyes.

She hiccuped, then jumped in surprise when a knock came on her passenger side door. Sasuke stood outside, only wearing a t-shirt, arms bare in the cold night. She hastily wiped at her tears and held them in as he climbed in next to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and she immediately regretted speaking. Her voice sounded so thick, so pathetic.

"I could see you from my bedroom window, stupid."

He reached over and cupped the back of her neck, pulling her into his chest. He was so cold as he held her, but she gripped him tighter and pulled him closer as her whole body was wracked by another series of sobs.

He held her, one hand rubbing her back gently while the other kept a tight grip around her waist. He didn't speak, didn't tell her that everything was going to be okay. He offered her no consolations. Instead, he pressed feather-light kisses to the crown of her head. It felt like an eternity before her sobs subsided into sniffles, until there was just her heavy breathing, until, finally, it was two in the morning and there's nothing but silence.

It was only then that Sasuke pulled away, only to cup her face gently−so gently−his thumbs skimming her tear-stained cheeks. He leaned in once more, his nose in her hair. He breathed in, she breathed out. She felt a shiver run down her spine when his lips brushed her forehead, her hand twisting in his shirt. He pressed his lips to her closed eyes, then she felt his nose skim her cheek, brush against her own nose, until she was feeling his breath right on her lips… and then it was gone.

The tenderness of it all had her eyes stinging with tears again.

It was so quiet that she swore he could hear how her heart beat erratically in her chest, and she felt each thump echo through her entire body. She opened her eyes then and saw how close he was. His eyes, dark and intense, bore into hers. She could clearly see the desire and desperation in those pools of black, and her breath hitched as his gaze lowered to her lips. She felt heat pool in her stomach as he lowered his head towards hers again.

She gripped his shirt tighter, then she froze. Had she been pushing him away or pulling him closer?

"Sakura," he said, his voice almost pained as he pressed his forehead against hers, eyes shut tight and teeth gritted. The hands on her cheeks moved down to cup her neck, his thumbs nudging her chin up so that her mouth was just a breath away from his.

She was so lightheaded; from crying for hours and most likely from dehydration, from his soft kisses and his gentle caresses, from the way her heart felt like it was going to explode−one moment she was heartbroken and the next, she was… she was…

"I like you."

His lips brushed against hers with every word, and the light pressure against her lips that punctuated the sentence was enough to bring her back to her senses.

"Sasuke-kun, no, I−" she began to pull away, but he held her firmly in place.

"You can pretend I'm Itachi if you want," he whispered. His thumbs traced the line of her jaw.

His words felt like a harsh splash of ice cold water. "_Sasuke_," she said firmly, flattening her hand against his chest to keep him from getting closer. She tore herself away from him and settled back in her seat. His head was lowered so that she couldn't read his eyes, but she saw how his jaw clenched and how his mouth twisted in a cruel smirk, which then morphed into a pained grimace.

"Sakura−"

"Get out."


	5. five

**a/n**: guys, i am so blown away and overwhelmed by the reactions to the last chapter! keep the reviews coming, i appreciate your thoughts and your support so much! and to answer **MademoiselleRED**, there is a four-year age gap; ssk is 18 and skr is 22.

hope yall enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading!

if you'd like, you could also leave me a tip at **kofi : rnelodramatic**

* * *

_**chapter f iv e**_

_The little Uchiha skidded to a stop as he reached the edge of the engawa. He leaned forward, curling his tiny toes over the edge of the wood to keep himself from falling as he peeked underneath. Big, black eyes blinked slowly. _Not here? _He leapt and stumbled a little as his bare feet touched the warm, rich summer soil and quickly righted himself._

_Standing in the middle of their summer home's backyard, he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't having fun anymore, he was just annoyed now. _

_They had been playing hide and seek and he'd already found Itachi, crouched on top of the tall closet in the room they shared. That had been half an hour ago, and Sasuke still hasn't found the third player. He had searched every room, every corner, every nook and cranny of the ancient house, but there was still no sign of Sakura. Even Itachi had started helping him in the search._

_Sasuke was pouting, lower lip jutting out and cheeks puffed out as he frowned at the ground, when Itachi called his attention. He looked up and found his brother on the engawa, pointing at the backgate that led out to the beach. It was slightly open._

_Sasuke's face immediately lit up and he made a dash for it, Itachi following close behind_−_their parents never liked when Sasuke went to the oceanside by himself. The sand was a little too hot on his bare feet and they stung his legs as he went. He paused just a few feet from the gate, frowning as he surveyed the area. There was no sign of pink anywhere. _

"_Nii-san, where is_−" _abruptly, he broke out into a loud cry._

_A hand shot out of the sand and gripped his ankle tightly. Panicked, he screamed louder, falling onto his little butt as he pulled and kicked with his captured leg. There was a rain of sand as something bigger moved from underneath. Sasuke almost never cried, but he was very much close to tears in that moment._

_And then he saw pink, dusted with gold, and heard familiar laughter. _

_Sakura was sitting in the sand, her entire lower half still submerged. She was powdered with fine sand all over._

"_I got you, Sasuke-kun!"_

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

What ensued after _the incident _was a frustrating game of hide and seek that's been going on for three school days now. Sakura was avoiding him. He had tried waiting for her at the roof on the off chance that she still had her lunch there even though they hadn't been meeting up, but she never came. He asked for her in the faculty office once and had been told by Iruka-sensei that he had just missed her, and he couldn't really come back a second time because the other teachers might suspect something−especially Kakashi.

When he had wanted nothing but to be rid of her, she was everywhere. Anywhere he went, she seemed to just appear out of nowhere. And in a crowd of over a hundred students, she was always easy to pick out, pink hair and all. But now that he was going out of his way to see her, she was impossible to find. After all, she had always been exceptionally good at hiding.

And when she was in his classroom, she wouldn't even look in his direction. At this point in the semester, she already knew everyone's names and faces so she didn't need to call roll anymore, so he really had no way of being acknowledged by her in any way.

He had been stupid, Sasuke knew that. He hadn't been thinking right that night; a little tipsy and a little overwhelmed and just a tad bit heartbroken. He didn't think−_couldn't_ think. He hadn't seen her in days, hadn't had a moment alone with her, hadn't had the pleasure of being in her presence. And watching her from his bedroom window, with her hand over her mouth and her fist pounding on her chest as if she'd just wanted to stop feeling altogether? Running out of the house in the dead of the night to hold her, to have his shirt soaked with her tears, to have her cries and her sobs and her wails echo in his ears? To see her torn apart all because of _his brother_ for the second time? He had just felt so compelled to take it all away.

He rested his arm over his eyes and sighed heavily. He was supposed to be in PE, but he wasn't really in the mood to play ball. He wasn't in the mood to do anything, at all.

"'Smatter with you?!" Naruto had asked when he sighed heavily for the nth time that day. The blonde Uzumaki was his best friend after all; he was clueless most of the time, but he _knew _Sasuke. He was perceptive when it came to Sasuke. But the matter with him wasn't something he could easily share with someone else, not even his best friend.

So here he was, feigning a headache so that the school nurse would allow him to occupy one of the beds in the clinic. It was quiet there, a little too quiet, rendering him unable to hide from his thoughts and his frustrating feelings.

He was only starting to doze off when his phone started vibrating, reminding him that there was still ten minutes until class was out. He wanted to get a headstart in the cafeteria.

"Feeling better, Uchiha-kun?"

He nodded at Shizune, the school nurse, and thanked her for letting him stay. He was at the top of the stairs when he heard the loud clicking of heels a flight below him, and he didn't think much of it until he heard the person speak. "Yeah, I got the flowers you sent. They're so pretty!"

_Sakura_.

Sasuke braced himself against the handrail and leaned forward. As expected, he saw a headful of pink. "I love them," she was saying, "I love _you_. I wish I could talk to you in person… I miss you."

What−who was she talking to? What flowers? Flowers from who?

He started leaning forward farther, following her with his eyes, until she disappeared. He started down the stars, skipping some steps in his hurry. But by the time he reached the second floor, she was gone. He started down the corridor, subtly glancing into the classrooms that he passed, but there was still no sign of her. He was walking fast towards another flight of stairs to the ground floor of the building when something caught his eye.

It was a room with no windows. It wasn't a classroom, it was a teacher's prep room. He looked up at the signage above the door: CHEM PREP.

_I got you, Sakura_.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sasuke didn't go to see her until after school and he was done with cleaning duties. He ignored the looks his friends gave him when he told them to go ahead without him, before he rushed to the prep room he had just found. He climbed the stairs two steps at a time, not wanting to miss her again in case she was heading home on time. And in his hurry, he had forgotten courtesy altogether as he threw the door open without so much as a knock.

Sakura instantly spun around in her seat, wide-eyed with a hand clutching her chest in surprise. "Sasuke-kun?! What are you _doing_?"

"I−" he swallowed, still catching his breath as he braced himself against the doorway. He hadn't even come up with a proper excuse yet, knowing that if he told her right off the bat that he wanted to talk about what happened, she would throw excuses to be excluded from this dialogue. "Uh, the quiz−you said there's a quiz next week, and you haven't been back to the house to tutor me."

Her eyes, which always regarded him warmly, looked him over almost warrily. It hurt, knowing that she was probably weighing out her options: to tell him that they'll resume tutoring at his house another time and risk being alone with him again, or tutoring him right here right now and risk having The Talk. It hurt knowing that she wanted nothing to do with him, that he was the one who pushed her too far.

Reluctantly, she nodded and invited him into the room. He closed the door behind him and she walked over to her filing cabinet, rummaging through folders.

The prep room was a small room that smelled like dust and chemicals. He looked around: to his left was a beaten up couch with an old blanket thrown over it and behind it was the filing cabinet where she was at. The right side of the room was seemingly unused and looked considerably darker than the rest, with boxes upon boxes and old cabinets with unused items stored inside. In front of him was her desk, bigger than usual to accomodate all her things: books and folders and papers neatly arranged in stacks with her pens and pencils in a mug. And beyond the desk was a window hidden behind white curtains. That's when he saw it.

On the windowsill was a vase that held big white carnations, soft pink roses, and the lightest purple cosmos. He felt a twinge in his chest.

Feigning nonchalance, he leaned against her desk with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Nice flowers," he said casually. "Didn't know you were seeing anyone."

She looked over her shoulder, to him then to the flowers, before turning back to the folder she was now holding and flipping through. "Technically, I'm not."

"Who are they from then?"

She sighed and he could tell she was rolling her eyes even though her back was to him. He wasn't fooling anyone, he realized that now. He probably looked as jealous as he felt. "They're from Ino," she said. She probably found what she was looking for because she was walking over to him with papers in her hand. "You met her once when you were younger."

He tried not to look so relieved. "I remember…" Ino was annoying. She'd gushed over him as soon as she caught sight of him, walking hand in hand with Sakura. When she introduced them, he'd immediately been reminded of Naruto. Apparently, he wasn't the only one with an annoying, blue-eyed, loud-mouthed friend. Now that he thought about it, didn't Itachi have that weirdo Deidara… huh. Maybe everyone had an annoying blonde in their life.

"Here."

She stapled the papers together and moved stuff aside to make space on her desk, giving him the seat she had previously been sitting in. "Answer these on your own and we can go over them later. I usually nap at this time, and I'm more tired today than usual. Do you mind?"

"Go ahead."

She smiled at him before retreating to the the couch. It was a small smile compared to how she used to beam at him, but he'll take what he can get. He wondered if the nap was just an excuse to avoid talking to him but just as the thought came, she sighed the heaviest of sighs as she laid on her back with her hands clasped over her stomach. She did look tired.

He was only starting to work on the worksheet she'd given him when she called him once more. His head snapped in her direction immediately. "Yeah?"

"When you're done with that, can you finish correcting that stack to your right?"

He didn't want to. Doing that kind of work, shifting his eyes from the answer sheet to the test paper, was tedious and made his neck hurt. It was even worse when the kid's test paper was all wrong. But he agreed to do so. Anything to stay close to her, especially if she'd gone out of her way to ask of him when she'd been avoiding him for half a week now.

His compliance seemed to placate her. She hummed sweetly before she sank into her nap. He went to work, listening to her steady breathing and the soft sighs she occasionally emitted in her sleep. It almost made him smirk. Good to know she no longer snored like a bore, the way she did when they were kids.

Sasuke didn't know when he first started liking Sakura. Maybe it was while she taught him how to ride a bike or when she caught little critters in a jar and scared him with it or when he scraped his knee and she gently blew on it and wiped his tears away… it could be one of the hundreds of moments from all the summers he had spent with her. But there was no definite moment that could think of. He never looked forward for the summer the same way kids his age did; he only looked forward to it so he could see her again.

He could keep trying to remember when or how or why he started liking her, but it did nothing to the fact that he still felt the same way if not stronger.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

He was wrong. Grading papers was actually quite fun, especially when the kid's test paper was all wrong. He had been so focused on doing someone else's _job _that he was surprised to see that the white curtain before him was now a soft orange. He turned in his seat and found that the sunset had cast an orange glow on the room around him and Sakura remained fast asleep in the couch, now lying on her stomach with her head on her arms.

Sasuke rose from his seat and inwardly groaned at how sore his limbs were. He cracked his neck and stretched his arms over his head, popping every joint. As if sensing his movements, Sakura groaned into consciousness, raising her head and squinting up at him. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

He glanced at the clock above the door. "6:30." He watched her hazy green eyes suddenly come alive with something akin to panic. "What."

Without answering him, she scrambled off the couch and bolted towards the door, wrapped a hand around the knob, then just stood there, defeated. He heard her mutter something but it was so quiet he barely heard her. "What?"

"We're locked in," she said, looking over her shoulder with a horrified look on her face.

It took him a while to understand her predicament and remember that the janitors locked up before 6pm. The realization caused him to fall back into his seat. He was stuck here, in this small room, all night. With Sakura. "I'm sorry," he said, as she forlornly sunk back down into the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. "I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry."

That wasn't the only thing he had to apologize for, though. Maybe being locked in together was exactly what they needed, to finally address the elephant in the room without being able to make up excuses and run away.

"Don't you have your phone on you?" she asked, voice perking up with hope. He was quick to shut that down however, because he'd left his phone in his locker all day. And hers was dead and she didn't have her charger, which was why her 5:15 alarm didn't go off in the first place. She groaned exasperatedly then pulled at her sleep-mussed her frustratedly.

His brows furrowed. He leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees and head lowered. "Why are you avoiding me?" he asked. He hated the way he sounded so small, so lost, so hurt.

The question must have caught her off guard because everything seemed to still for a second. He could feel her eyes on him but he couldn't bring himself to look up. He wouldn't be able to stand it if she hated him. "I'm not avoiding you, Sasuke," she finally said. _Sasuke_. Not _Sasuke-kun_. That stung a little. "We both agreed to stop being so familiar with each other in school, remember? Because I'm your teacher and you're my student," she emphasized that last part. Then, "If anything, you avoided me first."

The accusation wasn't lost on him, but he had nothing to say to that. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth, which was that he couldn't bear to look at her after he'd touched himself thinking about her. If she didn't hate him yet, _that _would've done it.

"Are you mad at me?"

She sighed. "I'm not mad at you," she said, sounding so defeated.

And that was all he needed. He raised his head and met her eyes as she had already been looking at him. "I lied," he said. She raised her brows in surprise, not having a clue what he was talking about. "I don't want you to pretend that I'm Itachi," he continued and watched the swirl of emotions that shone in her ever expressive green eyes, panic being one of them. "I want you to see me when you look at me."

"So you do remember." She looked away then, and looked at nothing in particular.

"I remember everything. I like you−fuck, maybe I even love you."

"I'm four years older than you."

"I've felt this way about you for as long as I can remember."

She winced at that. "I'm your _teacher_."

He sank back into his seat and shook his head. "That's not really a clear rejection, is it. You could just tell me to back off if you want to."

He had her there. Her eyes snapped to him, her feet dropping onto the floor. She looked exasperated and hopeless. She looked like she wanted to cry and slap the shit out of him. "_Fuck_, Sasuke!" she groaned. "You're asking me to risk my job. You do understand that, right? You're asking me to put my whole career in jeopardy!"

He did understand that. But seeing her so worked up over it, he couldn't fight the tugging at the corner of his lips. "Technically, I'm only asking for acceptance or rejection. You're the one who's thought that far ahead…"

Sakura gaped at him, then scoffed. "The audacity," she mumbled. She rose to her feet and stalked over to her table. She reached for a pen and snatched the worksheet he had worked on earlier before taking a seat at the very edge of the couch, farthest from him. She swung her legs over the armrest and worked with her back turned to him.

"I _am _sorry," he said, no longer a trace of smug amusement. "No matter what I feel for you, I shouldn't have done what I did."

She stopped her fuming and turned her head slightly to look at him. Her expression softened and the tension in her shoulders as she sighed. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said, finally giving him a warm smile before turning her attention back to his paper.

The room progressively got dimmer as the sun set and the moon rose, and if she had realized by then that he had no trouble at all with answering her Chem questions, she didn't comment upon it. She just handed him his paper, clean of any marks and corrections because he had gotten them all right.

Sakura might not be mad at him and she may not have outright rejected him, but she still wasn't comfortable enough around him. She barely looked at him when she spoke and she barely spoke to him at all, leaving an uncomfortable silence in a small room where neither of them have anything to occupy themselves with. So Sasuke started playing with the flowers in boredom, rubbing the smooth petals between his thumb and middle finger. He was halfway through counting each petal of the second carnation when she called out to him. She stood by the couch now, with the blanket pulled back. "You can sleep here for tonight."

"I'm fine sleeping right here−" he tapped the desk. "You take the couch."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and they spent a good five minutes arguing over who should sleep in the couch, but Sakura put her foot down and pointed out that she was older so he should listen to her. He scowled at her at that, but stomped over and fell into the couch ungracefully and let her throw the thin blanket over him. It was already dark and freezing by then, and as Sasuke tossed and turned in the uncomfortable couch, he began to hear a small chattering sound.

"At least take the blanket," he said, scowling into the dark because he could no longer see her. "You need it more than I do."

"No, I'm fine," she insisted. He could hear the weariness in her voice and he felt guilty, knowing that he was the reason they were in this situation in the first place.

"I can hear your teeth chattering all the way here. Just get in here."

"No," she said more firmly. "Really. I'm _fine_."

Stubborn as ever. He shook his head, annoyed. Sakura never had a sense of personal space, especially when it came to him. She would have jumped at the chance to cuddle with him for warmth or maybe she would even be the one to suggest it, if things were as usual between them. But no, he had confessed and he had kissed her−that counted as a kiss, right?−and now she couldn't stand breathing the same air as him. It was his fault−_gods_, he knew that it was. But she had to get over it, even if it's just for this one night, so she wouldn't risk getting fucking hypothermia.

"Goddammit, Sakura!" he snapped, aggressively throwing the blanket off of him and rising to his feet. "I'm not going to try anything again and this isn't going to fuel any fantasies I might have of us ever being together, if that's what you're so worried about−_I am just trying to keep warm_!" He was thankful for the dark because he has never felt his face so hot before, flushed with embarrassment. But he remained standing indignantly, and pointed to the couch. "Get. in. here."

There was a short stretch of silence, then she timidly walked over to him. She laid on her side and squeezed herself against the back of the couch to make space for him and he followed soon after. She gave a small squeak as he positioned himself next to her, his chest pressed to her back. He realized now why she'd been so unwilling; this was impossible. He could barely think straight now, being so close to her, remembering how he had held her that night and lightly pressed his lips all over her face. He swallowed thickly and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on anything but her. He couldn't be having such thoughts when she was so close and so reluctantly trusting, when he had promised her that this meant nothing.

"You can… hold onto me," she said in a small voice. "So you don't fall off."

Unsure, he raised his hand and hovered over her waist, not wanting to touch her in a way that might make her even more uncomfortable. He let her guide his wrist to wrap his arm around her middle and he swore he heard her release a small sigh of relief, probably from the warmth being held gave her.

As they both settled and his nerves calmed, it only hit him how tired he really was. He was close to falling asleep, lulled by the sweet smell of apples in her hair, when she heard him speak again. "I do see you, you know," she said, quiet and hesitant. "When I look at you, I see you. Not Itachi."

Without meaning to, he tipped his head forward and touched his forehead to the top of her head, his arm tightening around her. "Thank you, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

It was weird, what her words did to him. He's never quite felt so… soft and warm on the inside, a type of happiness so pure and overwhelming he almost felt giddy. He felt so warm, holding her so close, that he barely noticed how cold it actually was in the small, dark room.


	6. six

_**chapter s i x**_

Sakura moaned sleepily as she slowly came into consciousness, feeling the warmth of the risen sun filtering through the blinds of her windows on her skin and her warm sheets all around her and an even warmer body that held her close. She hummed pleasantly at the comforting weight of a muscular arm around her middle and the feel of steady breathing and light snoring tickling the nape of her neck.

She turned in his arms and snuggled closer to the warmth of his bare skin, and as she turned, she felt his hand move down her back and cup her backside. "Sas−" she yelped in surprise, ready to admonish him so early in the morning, but she froze as her eyes flew open, suddenly alert.

Oh. Right.

"Mm, what were you about to call me just now, sweet thing?" He raised a brow at her teasingly, his lips a lazy lopsided grin.

She felt like a deer caught in the headlights and all she could do was pout and smack him on the shoulder for groping her and staying the night. "Why are you _still _here, Kiba?!" she asked, bolting upright and holding her sheets to her bare chest. She distinctly remembered watching him put his pants on. He even threw out the used condom on his way out. He must have slipped back in when she was already asleep.

He groaned and rolled and stretched all across her bed now, rubbing at his eyes as his mouth opened in a big yawn. "'M sorry, I was too tired to go home last night," he said, with no hint of remorse. If anything, he was just teasing her even more. "I wonder whose fault that is."

She shot him a threatening look, then sighed and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I need to get to work," she muttered. She got out of bed and quickly picked up her discarded clothes, all the while feeling a pair of hungry eyes on her ass. "I'll go make breakfast then you _really _have to go."

Sakura met Kiba the night after _the incident_. She was devastated after having laid her heart out to Itachi, and everything about Sasuke's confession threw her into a spiral of shock and confusion and maybe even a little bit of hurt, with how he sprung it onto her at the worst time. So she went to a bar to let off steam−whether it was in Konoha or Suna, the hookup scene was all the same anywhere. She tossed back drink after drink, none of which she had to pay for, and flirted with some boys−boys who didn't matter, boys who didn't have a heavy pull on her heart, boys who made things easier. Then Kiba approached her, tattoos on his face and a shit-eating grin and a dirty mouth. He was exactly what she needed, the perfect distraction. For the whole weekend, his was the only name she knew.

But now, even during their tryst last night, he no longer had the same effect. He wasn't able to make her forget a different pair of arms around her, a different warm body flush against hers…

"What's wrong with you?" he asked gruffly, watching her over the rim of the coffee mug as he drank.

She really shouldn't tell him. It was none of his business. She barely knew him, after all. But his inquisitive eyes bore into hers and she was already bursting at the seams with so much frustrating emotions and confusion that she would implode if she didn't get it out of her system. So she groaned, tossing her burnt buttered toast into her plate and put her elbows down on the counter, covering her face with her hands. She breathed in deeply, and exhaled heavily. "I was locked in at school after hours the other night," her hands muffled her words as she spoke, "with Sasuke-kun. He confessed again. And I..." _was still unable to reject him_…

Of course Kiba knew about Sasuke. And Itachi. And their trio's little history. Apparently, they were all she talked about as the two of them took shots at the bar that weekend, and she didn't realize it until he asked her about them again the morning after, when she was sober enough to feel mortification.

With her face covered, she couldn't see the look on his face but she could practically hear his smug grin when he asked, "And? D'you finally do him?"

Her hands dropped from her face and her palms stung as they slapped the surface of her marble counter. "Kiba!" she cried out, her voice octaves higher, scandalized by the offhanded question. She could feel her entire face burning.

"Honestly, what's the problem?" He bit off almost half of his toast and proceeded to talk around the food he chewed in his mouth. "What, how old's the kid? Eighteen?" He shrugged. "He's not a minor, Sakura. There's nothing wrong about it."

"Well, for one, I have morals," she huffed. "I'm his teacher, Kiba. That would be an abuse of power. He's an inexperienced child and I'm a responsible adult−or at least I _should _be! And besides," she added, almost too quietly and without a trace of the steely resolve she so wanted to have, "I don't even see him that way."

"Ha!" he barked, the loud sound making her jump slightly. Her predicament was amusing him and he didn't even care to hide it, not as he propped an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin. "Really, now," he challenged, "why won't you let me kiss you then?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, to shoot him with an indignant but convincing retort, but she came up with nothing. He had been all over her the night they met, touching every inch of her skin and sucking and nipping at her neck and kissing along her ears and her jaws. But she pressed a finger to his lips and turned her head away just as he reached her mouth. He wasn't allowed to kiss her on the lips, and it has been their cardinal rule ever since. And she told herself over and over again that it had nothing to do with how the fleeting touch of Sasuke's lips still lingered there.

Frustrated, she shoved a piece of toast in her mouth. He had no right, really, to talk to her about her personal life. As if they were close, like they were friends, like fucking isn't their only connection. He knew nothing about her and had no right to talk like he did. But as if catching her thoughts, he got up and cleaned after himself, going around the counter to put his plate in the sink. "Look," he said. "I don't even know you and I already know when you're lying to yourself." He paused by her side and smirked down at her. "You take yourself too seriously, Sakura. But you're as transparent as that thin cami you're wearing."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

The morning after they'd been locked in together in her own prep room was not at all the sordid, scandalous affair she had thought it would be. She had woken to Sasuke gently shaking her to let her know that the door was already unlocked. It was already 5:40 by then and the school was finally open again. Quietly, they slipped out of her room and made their escape through the empty corridors, free of prying eyes.

They didn't speak as she drove him home before making her way to her own apartment so that they could both freshen up for the rest of the day. The silence wasn't nearly as unbearable as the weeks she'd spent avoiding him, but the memories of the last time they had been alone in her Jeep wasn't totally lost on her. Being in the same space alone with him again, with the very fresh memory of his arm wrapped around her and his body pressed against hers just hours before, her heart pounded deafeningly in her ears.

"I'll see you later," she had mumbled when she parked in his driveway. He nodded and muttered a small thanks before disappearing into the house. Only, she didn't see him later that day.

And neither did she see him again today.

It was unlike Sasuke to miss school two days in a row−it was unlike him to miss school at all. There was an anxious buzzing in the pit of her stomach every time she glanced at his empty seat during third period and by the time she was taking her lunch break in the faculty room, she was chewing on her nails, staring down at her phone, debating with herself. But her concern for the younger Uchiha proved to outweigh any embarrassment and uncertainty she felt over his older brother, so she grabbed her phone and quickly made her way to the roof.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Sakura, is everything okay?" Itachi asked. He sounded surprised but relieved to finally be hearing from her after the whole week of silence that followed her sudden confession. But underneath it all, he sounded tired. Hearing the incessant scratch of pen against paper, the rustling of pages, and fingers over keys, she didn't have to wonder why.

"Uh, yeah," she said unsurely, but also relieved that he had answered in the first place. She found herself picking at the wires of the chain link fence at the edge of the roof. "It's just… Sasuke-kun hasn't been to school in two days and it's starting to worry me."

"Sasuke's been running a fever. I haven't been home since Tuesday and when I got back last night, he was burning up." He sounded disgruntled as he spoke, and almost a little pained. It's just like Itachi to blame himself for not being there for his little brother. He probably didn't even know that Sasuke hadn't made it home on Wednesday and that he's probably sick now because he'd spent the night locked in a cold, dark room. "Sakura, can you do me a favor?"

She furrowed her brows, already knowing what he was going to say. She was mildly offended that he even had to ask. "I'll take care of him even if you don't ask me to, Itachi," she answered. In a chiding tone, she added, "You should have told me sooner. I would've come over last night."

"I knew you would," he sighed, "but I didn't want to bother you. We're not your responsibility."

She scoffed. "You're fucking ridiculous, you know that. You two are family to me."

"Thank you, Sakura. I appreciate it."

"It's no problem."

There was a pregnant pause and she could almost feel him hesitating from the other end of the line. The typing had stopped and so did the scribbling on paper. And she could picture him now, sitting back in his seat with his hand a closed fist on his desk. He breathed sharply, and then, "About last time…"

She winced. Her hand that had been playing on the wired surface of the fence curled around it tightly, enough for the metal to bite into her skin. She bit her lower lip, choosing her words carefully to put him at ease. "Itachi, it's okay," she started, voice levelled and words slow. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that when I said it." She thought about how Sasuke had sprung his confession onto her, sudden as a car crash, making a mess out of her thoughts and her feelings. She recognized now the tricky consequences of a clumsy confession. "I had to say it, though. I had to tell you. Some way, somehow, I needed to get it out of my system and be rid of it−all of it. But how it happened was… irresponsible. And for that, I apologize. But you don't have to worry about me, Itachi. I'm okay. Really."

And there was silence again. She could see his fist clenching and unclenching, his lips pressed into a thin line as he grasped for words to say. Because what can you possibly say to that? How do you apologize for not loving someone who has loved you, who patiently waited for you while you forgot about her, the girl with the pink hair in the small island? So she spares him, once again.

"I'll check on Sasuke after school," she said softly. "Take care of yourself, Itachi. Shisui, too. I can't be looking after three sick Uchihas, you know."She hung up because nothing else needed to be said between them. She had said her piece and he didn't owe her a reply.

She breathed in deeply as the wind blew, smelling more and more like winter as they moved further into the month. She exhaled heavily, and that's how easy moving on should be.

She tugged on the fence once before backing away completely. She had classes to teach and a sick boy to attend to.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

It's easy enough to push Sasuke to the back of her head, knowing that he was probably just in bed all day and nothing worse could happen. She carried on with the rest of the school day with ease. She went through lecture like she always did and organized materials in preparation for next week's lab activity. On the way over, she stopped by the local grocery store to buy fresh tomatoes, basil, and some other stuff. She knew Sasuke had an affinity for tomatoes, so she figured he'd probably prefer tomato soup over porridge or chicken noodle.

Sakura had been in and out of the Uchiha brothers' house ever since she came to Konoha. Each time, she would be welcomed by either of the brothers. More often than not, Sasuke would be lounging on the living room couch with the TV turned up even though he wasn't looking in its direction and Itachi would be in the dining area, working, and he would poke his head out the door to give her a quick greeting. But today, it was dim and empty, utterly silent.

She went straight to the kitchen and got to working. It was easy enough to work around their unfamiliar kitchen because they were practical and the wares she needed were exactly where she would expect to find them. She heated the pot and sautéed the vegetables, and she diced the tomatoes and added them in when it was time. She added water and left it to simmer, before she finally made her way up the stairs.

She knocked softly on his door before poking her head in. As expected, he was lying still in bed. She saw four tissue boxes on the desk and a trash bin close to his side. She could hear him breathing heavily from where she stood, softly moaning and groaning and muttering under his breath.

Sakura felt guilty for how relieved she had felt when Itachi told her that Sasuke was sick with a fever. For the past two days, she had worried that he hated her. That he'd purposefully missed class because he couldn't stand being in the same space as her. She was being stupid, she knew. It was uncharacteristic and unrealistic and silly, but… she had been consumed with a great fear that _her _Sasuke-kun could detest her.

Quietly, she entered the room and sat on the edge of his bed. He shivered when she placed her hand on his forehead, then his cheek. He was burning. His skin was hot to the touch and she could still feel how much hotter he was underneath. He stirred and she brushed her thumb against his cheekbone as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

His heavy eyes widened a fraction, surprised to see her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, voice close to a whisper. He'd been used to darkness and silence she didn't want him to get a headache to top everything off by being too loud.

He swallowed thickly and frowned, finding it difficult to speak. "Like shit," he croaked. "I hate being sick."

"If you had told me the other morning that you already felt off then you wouldn't be this sick right now."

"Tch. I'm sick," he grumbled, "don't be any more annoying."

He reached up and placed his hand on top of hers on his cheek, before twining their fingers and lowering their hands to his side. He looked at it momentarily, curiously, and she thought maybe he still wasn't sure she was truly here. She squeezed his hand before she let go, flattening her palms on her thighs. Turning away from his displeased frown, she awkwardly rose to her feet.

"I'm making tomato soup downstairs," she explained. "I better go check on it. I'll come back when it's ready, 'kay?"

"I'll go with you," he said, already pushing himself up by the elbows. His face twisted with effort and her hands immediately flew to his shoulders, urging him to stay down. He only clicked his tongue and swatted her hands away. "It's just the flu, Sakura. I'm not gonna die if I get out of bed."

She pursed her lips, but she saw his point. Bed rest is good, but staying in bed doing nothing for two whole days isn't really doing him any better. Instead of pushing him down, she adjusted her hands to help him up. She wrapped his discarded blanket around his shoulders once he was seated, and the glare he shot her didn't exactly have its intended effect. Not when he was pouting, nose red and cheeks flushed with his body heat, with the blanket swallowing him. She couldn't help but giggle.

Sasuke was slow and sluggish in his movements, but it was nothing to worry about. He managed to make it all the way down the stairs without stumbling, his blanket trailing after him everywhere he went. He sat on a stool and silently watched her stir the pot of soup, adding one thing or another until he could smell it even through his congested nostrils.

When she finished, Sakura gave it a minute to cool before giving him a bowl. "Have you been able to eat anything at all these past few days?" she asked, taking a seat beside him. He just shook his head, probably too tired to be speaking any more. He looked down at the orange soup without interest and she knew that he probably had no appetite. She nudged him with her elbow. "You need to eat, Sasuke-kun. Otherwise, your fever won't go away and you'll be stuck in bed forever."

His lower lip jutted out slightly when he looked at her, brows furrowed defiantly. He looked like a child about to throw a tantrum. But eventually, he just sighed tiredly and picked up the spoon, scooping just a little bit of the soup at the tip of it before putting it in his mouth. "It's good," he muttered, taking another sip of it, this time with his spoon full. She watched him happily, proud of herself. Sasuke was a known tomato connoisseur and he seemed to be the type to criticize harshly. After a fourth sip, he lowered his spoon. "But…" he continued in a low voice, so quiet that she had to strain her hearing. "Okaa-san's is better. And nii-san's comes pretty close to hers."

Uchiha Mikoto's face flashed in Sakura's mind, her kind eyes and her warm smile. Her long, silky black hair and the grace of a ballerina in her every movement, elegant in the way she held herself.

Sakura froze for a moment, suddenly hit with the realization that she hasn't heard him or even Itachi mention either of their parents since she got here. And worse, she had never asked about them. There just never seemed to be a moment for it, since, really, when is it a good time to bring up your friends' deceased parents and give your sincerest condolences six years late?

"Sasuke-kun," she said slowly, hesitantly. She hoped she wasn't prying too much, pushing him too far. "What… what did… Mikoto-san make for you when you were sick?"

"Okaa-san never took care of me when I was sick," he said. There was a soft fondness in his voice and a faraway look in his glazed eyes. There was a hint of childish giddiness on his face and she wasn't sure if it was his nostalgia or the fever. "It was always otou-san. He made me congee."

A warmth spread through her as she remembered Uchiha Fugaku, with his hard surface and cold demeanor and the stern manner in which he spoke. And yet, there was always a tenderness, that is not always expressed with words but with the small subtle things that he did in the background, that was reserved for his two sons and his wife. She was sure Sasuke thought of his father cooking something up especially for him was a grand gesture, and though she agreed that it was sweet, considering that it was Fugaku, she couldn't help but wish that he had allowed himself to be warmer with his children. That these displays of affection wasn't something that manifested only once in a while, so that his sons didn't need to be reminded by their mother that they were, in fact, loved by their father.

She had expected all talk of his parents to end there, but she found that a sick and fevered Sasuke was much more uninhibited than the average everyday Sasuke. She listened to him as he spoke of his childhood, smiled with him when he touched upon a particularly fond memory and ached to hold him when a faraway sadness crept into his eyes−but she didn't dare touch him, in fear that he would wake from the daze he was in and cause him to withdraw again. She could tell, from the way he talked, that these were memories he didn't visit very often. She also found that there was more to the Sasuke she knew in the summers−of course, there would be. She was obtuse to think otherwise, to think that she knew him through and through from a couple of weeks of playing around in the sun. And she was fascinated to learn more about him; the troubles he got into with Naruto, his overprotectiveness of sorts over Karin, how he didn't particularly have any strong feelings about Suigetsu but he's good enough to be around, his dreams and his goals, even his insecurities borne from being Itachi's brother and Fugaku's son. "If otou-san had seen the failed Chemistry test I got from you," he had said bitterly at one point, "he'd never let me live it down."

She never missed how the look in his eyes changed whenever the subject shifted from his mother's loving nature to his father's critical demeanor.

He spoke freely and expressively. Everything she knew he would not open up to her on a good day, all out in the open. But he still didn't open up about their deaths and the aftermath, how he'd been a little child left in the care of his older brother and how Itachi had to take on the role of both mother and father to Sasuke.

When his body started leaning forward in his seat and his eyes grew drowsy, she decided that it was time to take him back to bed.

He laid himself down in his bed and threw his blanket over himself. She waited for his eyes to shut before she sat herself down onto the floor with her legs outstretched in front of her, leaning her back against the bed. She leaned her head back so that she rested against the mattress, and she'd only closed her eyes for two seconds when she felt his movements. When she opened her eyes, he was already sitting next to her, cross-legged, on the cold floor.

"Sasuke-kun, go back to bed!" she said, urging him to get up and move back under the warmth of his blanket. But the boy only glared−_pouted_−at her and crossed his arms over his chest. She groaned and rolled her eyes. She reached up into the bed to get his blanket and moved to wrap it around his shoulders again. In the process, his head fell to her shoulder and made no indication to move away. Sighing, she placed a hand on his cheek and found that his temperature has dropped a little−still hot, but not as hot as earlier. He was cold and trembling slightly, so she inched closer to him and wrapped one arm around him as she rubbed his arms and his back to keep him warm.

"Things haven't been the same since I told you… I'm sorry for everything," he said quietly, almost as if he was mumbling to himself. But in the quiet of his room, she heard him loud and clear. He rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and it almost reminded her of a cat, but his words were too heavy for her to dwell on how adorable the action was. "I'm not expecting anything from you. I just thought you should now, is all. Let's just go back to the way things were… I miss you."

"And what if I like you back?" she found herself asking, her brain barely registering the words that came out of her mouth.

At that, he lifted his head, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "You like me?" he asked, excitedly. He almost sounded drunk.

"I said _what if_," she said, looking away abruptly because he was so close. So close. There was a different kind of warmth on her cheeks.

He chuckled, light and boyish, and the unfamiliar sound had her attention snapping back to him. "Then I'd ask you to be my girlfriend, stupid."

To her shock, Sasuke was smiling. It wasn't his signature smirk, or his smug grin; it was a smile, so pure and wholesome. She didn't think she's ever seen him smile, not even when he was a kid. She'd been convinced that he'd had a shit-eating grin on his face the moment Mikoto birthed her into this world. And now, she melted before him. Gods, what she would give to have him smile like that all the time. Just for her.

"You're so red, Sakura."

"Go back to bed, Sasuke-kun," she said, averting her gaze yet again. He was too charming and she doubted he even realized it, being in his fevered state and all.

"Go to bed with me," he said, seemingly unaware of the connotations of his innocent request, or simply unperturbed by it. He leaned his shoulder against the side of his bed so that he was still facing her. "I sleep better with you."

"That's what got you sick in the first place, moron."

She got up to her feet and held her hand out for him to take. He frowned at it for a moment, but relented soon enough. He took her hand and made no effort to get up, but she was able to pull him up to his feet just fine. People tend to underestimate Sakura's strength like that.

She fluffed his pillows and ordered him to lie down. She tucked him in, pulling the blanket up to his chin and tucking the edges of the blanket under the mattress to keep him snug. "Okaa-san used to tuck me in every night, then she'd kiss me on the forehead," he said in the middle of a yawn. She softened again at the mention of the beautiful woman again. "It's not fair," he continued after a moment. But he sounded too tired and too sleepy to sound as offended as he continued, "Tou-san loved Itachi and kaa-san loved us _both_. Nobody ever loved _just me_… not even you."

She gasped at the last statement, looking down at him with big, sad green eyes. But before she could say anything more, his eyes had already fluttered close and his breathing had gone deep and steady.

Frowning to herself, she sank back down onto the floor, his words swimming in her head yet again. It was laughable, really. These days, her head seemed to be filled with words he'd said to her, confessions she didn't particularly knew what to do with. But one thing seemed to be clear: she didn't _not _want them. Otherwise, they wouldn't be affecting her this way, they wouldn't have this much power over her.

She didn't _not _want him.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her arms folded over them. She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until soft footsteps padded towards her and Itachi gently shook her awake.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

It was already 11:15 by the time she got home, but she was anything but tired. She was wired, restless. So she didn't care if her best friend was comfortably asleep, dreaming blissfully away. Once she was out of her work clothes and she'd settled in a cotton shirt, she dialed the number as she climbed into bed.

It took four rings, damn close to voicemail.

"What's up, forehead?" Ino asked, sounding tired but not quite asleep.

"Ino, I'm about to go fucking crazy!"

Before the blonde could ask what was going on, Sakura told her everything. How she had confessed to Itachi and how Sasuke had comforted her, held her, _kissed _her, and told her that he liked her. She told her about the night at school and the comments that Kiba had made ("hold up, you told your fuck buddy about all this but not _me_?!"), and even the things he'd said to her just earlier this evening. She told her all of it and how absolutely torn apart she's been for the past week.

"It's either you like him or you don't!" Ino said, simple as that.

Sakura knew that, and decision-making when it came to boys have always been easy like that. But this? This was different on so many levels. This was _Sasuke_. "I haven't been able to shake him out of my head but…" she was biting her lip, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. "I'm scared. What if I'm just, I don't know, _imprinting _on him because he was the first person I shared an intimate moment with right after I spilled my heart out to someone who didn't want me. I don't want to use him like that. Sasuke means too much to me."

Ino sighed heavily. "Well, I guess you wouldn't know how you really feel unless you give it a shot."

"Give it shot," she repeated, unimpressed. "You mean, lead him on until I figure out my own feelings and when I realize that there's really nothing, just leave him like he's nothing."

"What if you're not leading him on because you actually do end up liking him?"

Sakura grimaced and pulled at her hair. "Then that's a problem because I'm his teacher!"

"Forehead!" Ino groaned. "I swear to god, you are so fucking stubborn! Who calls people in the middle of the night to ask for advice only to shoot down every piece of advice that comes their way?!"

Sakura tried to calm herself. "Ugh, god, Pig, I'm sorry," she said, sounding so weak and defeated. "I just… I don't know where my head's at." _And my heart, too, for that matter_.

There was a moment of silence and when Ino spoke again, her voice was hard and determined. "Ask yourself this, Sakura: if he isn't your student and he isn't Itachi's little brother, what would you do if he kissed you again?"

* * *

**a/n**: sorry for the late update. it's the final stretch of the semester and things are getting pretty busy w my classes but hang in there. ngl i'm having trouble writing skr's feelings transitioning from platonic to romantic and i hope i don't fuck it up so bad that it looks all rushed or that it ends up looking like she doesn't love ssk as much as he loves her. also v worried that my ssk is ooc but it's a modern au and there are no wars n violent deaths so we will all just let him be. boy doesn't need to be angsting all the fucking time. sighs skr and i are just very confused at the moment. also who thought skr was waking up next to ssk in the beginning? i did?


	7. seven

**a/n**: thanks again to everyone for your continued reading and support! these past few weeks have been v challenging academically but your reviews keep me motivated! thanks especially to readers who didn't _rudely _badger me for an update−and much love to **Birkastan2018 **for taking to tumblr to call out rude readers not only for me but for other authors, as well!

and to clarify some things, in response to **SasuSakuKawaii**'s question, the span of the trio's friendship isn't just one month in one summer, it's actually a month or so _every _summer starting when ssk was around 7y/o until he was 12. they did keep in touch outside the summers, mostly just skr and ita (bc ssk's too young to have a phone), but after the last summer they spent in suna before their parents' death all communications stopped _because… _

and to answer a **guest**, yes i am on tumblr. i believe i've already dropped it on here before but again it's **uchiharvuno**. i have a few one shots and ficlets on there, feel free to make requests.

if yall have any more questions or if i haven't been clear on something, feel free to ask!

* * *

_**chapter s ev en**_

There was a growing soreness in his arms, a burning ache in his calves and thighs, a dryness in his throat, and his lungs burned with every shallow breath he took. Sasuke relished in how his entire body seemed to be begging for him to stop and rest. It's a good kind of pain, the kind that made him feel rejuvenated after being totally immobile in bed with a fever.

He had gotten out of bed early that morning and went out for a run around the residential area. But when those couple of miles didn't quite shake off the restlessness in his bones, he pushed his legs farther and ran around Konoha's Grand Park. Now, however, slowing into a jog, he frowned at his surroundings. He had been running aimlessly, with no destination in mind other than to take the roundabout way home, but he somehow found himself in West Konoha. More specifically, across the street from Sakura's apartment building.

It was still early and she probably wasn't even awake yet. He thought of turning around and heading back home, he really did. But the pedestrian light went off and he found himself moving forward. He felt stupid, intruding on her on a weekend morning for no reason at all, sweaty and struggling to catch his breath from his morning run. And yet, he was almost giddy as he walked up the stairs−as giddy as one Uchiha Sasuke could afford to be, at least.

He had been dazed and so out of it the night she came over when he was sick. But he could still remember how tenderly she had cared for him, the way she fussed and worried about. He could still feel her hand gently touching his face−even though if it was only to check his temperature. And she _still _hasn't rejected him. He couldn't help the tilt of his mouth at the thought.

He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet when he reached the third floor landing, but the energy was quick to drain out of him as he rounded the corner to her apartment door. He halted in his steps, frozen. He felt like he had been doused in cold water as he watched a scruffy-looking young man emerge from an open door with the pink-haired woman following close behind in a tank top that was too thin and shorts that were too short, for modesty in the presence of a stranger. She kept her hand around the door knob as the rest of her leaned forward. They interacted warmly and familiarly. He was obviously flirting with her−and she was flirting back!

Sasuke wanted to smack the grin off his stupid face. But it was when he leaned down and his face disappeared into the crook of her neck that Sasuke felt something coil tightly inside of him. He felt his breath hitch in his throat and his free hand clench into a tight fist, so tight it was shaking. Sakura laughed, a bubbly laugh that would have filled his stomach with a funny feeling on a normal day. But seeing that it was coaxed out of her by this stranger just filled him with an almost violent rage.

They were five doors down from him. He barely felt his feet move or touch the ground as he took long strides towards them. He didn't even realize that he had moved from his little corner until he clapped his hand on the older guy's shoulder and, without thinking, he pulled his elbow back before his fist connected with the douchebag's smug face−

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

_Shit_.

Sasuke woke up to a pair of seafoam green eyes glaring at him and a cold burning on the underside of his jaw. His body no longer felt hot, having cooled down from his run, and his shirt no longer clung tightly to his body with sweat.

Blinking his eyes rapidly as he came into full consciousness, he realized that he was in Sakura's apartment, stretched out across her couch. She sat on the edge of her coffee table, leaning over him. He sat up groggily and sank comfortable into the back of the couch. She retracted the hand that held an ice pack to his face then tossed the cold, wet thing to his lap before crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

Why was she so mad? And why does his jaw hurt so much?

_Oh… right._

Instantly, he remembered brown hair and red tattoos that lined tan cheeks. He looked down at his right hand, which was still a little red and aching dully. He remembered punching the guy, who only stumbled back a little before throwing a punch of his own. Sasuke saw stars, then nothing.

"I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke."

He looked up to find Sakura still seated before him, brows knitted so sharply and her fingers digging into her arms as they remained crossed. _She's_ disappointed? Hadn't _he _been the one who walked in on her flirting with some other guy? He had no right to be jealous, really. He had no right to be this angry. She was a grown woman and she was free to do whatever she wanted−or, from the looks of it, _who_ever she wanted. But the fact didn't stop him from feeling white hot rage.

"I asked you before," he said, in a low voice, still seething, "and you said you weren't seeing anyone."

Her eyes widened a fraction and her arms lost their tight grip on herself, obviously taken aback. "I'm _not _seeing anyone," she still insisted, dignified. "Kiba is just a friend!"

His eyes narrowed at her as he remembered the other man's lips on her neck. Then he found himself trying to push away thoughts of those lips on other places and his filthy hands roaming where they don't belong. He scoffed bitterly. "I didn't realize you were so _friendly_."

"What the fuck is your problem?" she asked, shaking with anger. He's never seen her this angry with him and he found himself feeling cornered as she jabbed a finger to his chest. "You think you can just−just come here and punch people and _judge _me? Fuck you."

Sasuke and Sakura almost never fought when they were kids. He was too proud and she was too stubborn. It took Itachi's good judgement to reconcile them, forcing each to apologize to the other, both of them owning up to their own faults. Because they were both so bad at apologizing, they avoided getting on each other's bad sides altogether. But Itachi wasn't here, and they weren't kids anymore.

"I'm sorry," he said after a few moments of tense silence. At the same time she breathed out slowly, as if calming herself.

They both stared at each other in surprise. Him, unable to believe that she had easily let her anger go without smacking him. Her, unsure if her ears had heard right, that a verbal apology had come out of _the _Uchiha Sasuke's stupid mouth, unprompted−they had indeed heard correctly.

Running her fingers through her hair and sighing once more, she moved so that she was sitting on the couch next to him, but still with some space between them. "I'm an adult," she started, slow and quiet, but strong, "and I'm still single. I'm at liberty to make my own choices. I can be friends with whoever I want. I can have sex with whoever I want. I cope with stressful situations however I want and you…" she turned to him, green eyes now softened but still determined, "you don't get to judge me. I don't owe you anything. You don't get to look at me like−like−like I'm a slut, because−" she paused, breathing in sharply. When she spoke again, he's never heard her sound so small. "Because maybe then I'm not who you think I am. Maybe I'm not the girl you say you fell in love with all those years ago."

She regarded him with uncertainty, her eyes searching his before ultimately dropping to her fidgeting hands.

Maybe she was right. She wasn't the girl he fell in love with when he was younger. How could she be? It's been years since then. She couldn't possibly remain exactly the same forever, for him. But he wasn't that child crushing on his next-door neighbor, either. They were both different. They weren't kids anymore.

That didn't mean he loved her any less now. But his feelings for her did not mean that he was entitled to have her to himself, and he shouldn't have reacted the way he did. So childish and immature. And he hated that he had made her feel this way, so angry that she felt it in her bones.

"I'm sorry," he started. "I was… jealous." _You know how I feel about you. You _know.

"I'm sorry, too," she said, with just a hint of bashfulness. "I mean, I'm not sorry for the things I do, but… I _am _sorry that you had to see that."

There was a pause. He could sense that she was still uneasy with him, and he still wasn't quite comfortable with the fact that there was another man in her life. But she kicked him in the shin and smiled at him, an attempt at normalcy. "Does your ugly mug still hurt?" she asked, touching her own jaw.

He wondered if there was now a patch of color on his face. "Hn. Did I at least get him good?"

She giggled and swayed slightly to nudge him with her shoulder. "He'll be sporting a black eye for a while, if that makes you feel any better."

Ah, he felt infinitely better already.

They fell into a more comfortable silence. He picked up the ice pack from where it was starting to soak his sweatpants and she hurriedly snatched it from his hand, apologizing for having carelessly thrown it at him in the first place. She disappeared with it and he let his head fall back against the couch, hand massaging the soreness of his jaw. He closed his eyes for a second and just as he felt a dip in the couch cushion as she took her place next to him, his stomach growled loudly.

His eyes snapped open at the sound. Sakura's brows shot up in surprise, then she broke out into a laugh, which earned her a glare from him. He hasn't had breakfast, after all, and he had gone on quite a strenuous run earlier.

"Come on," she drawled, rising from her seat. He realized that she had changed into a baggy Ame University sweatshirt and black leggings underneath. "I don't have anything here. I'm taking you out to lunch!"

_Lunch_, he thought, brows furrowing as he rubbed his jaw. It was barely 9a.m. when he got here.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sakura's jeep was a beast. It roared to life when she turned the key in the ignition and it growled loudly every time she added even a little bit of pressure onto the gas pedal. The interior was spacious, too, almost as if designed to accommodate long legs and a big body build. Wearing a sweatshirt that swallowed her whole with sleeves that went way past her fingertips, she looked like a dwarf in the driver's seat. Nevertheless, she seemed relaxed, slumped against her seat and maneuvering the steering wheel with one hand while she rested her arm against the door.

"Why did you get a jeep?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask, watching her curiously from the corner of his eye. He didn't want to push her buttons any more than he already had, and he was slightly alarmed when he saw her scrunch her nose in distaste over his seemingly innocent and harmless question.

"Why not?" she shrugged casually, but her voice was challenging.

"You're… tiny."

She was silent for a second and he was afraid he'd done it again, but then she barked with laughter. The sound was loud and booming, and he started to realize that maybe she did match well with this loud ass car. "Well, you know what they say," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. She seemed pleased with herself even though the joke was at her own expense. But he did know what they said. With a car this big, she might be compensating for something−

"Fuck!" he hissed. She landed quite a punch on his arm when his eyes lingered on her chest for too long.

"I meant my _height_, you little shit!"

"That hurt," he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot high up on his arm.

Sakura has always been strong and she has always been able to effectively communicate with her fists. That's why all the other kids in Suna feared her. But he already had a purple bruise on his cheek. She could at least let off with the violence. If he didn't know her any better, he wouldn't have been able to reconcile that woman who just punched him to the woman who had touched him so delicately when he was sick. But he did know her, and he knew that Haruno Sakura was as strong as she was gentle.

Sasuke almost groaned when he realized where she was taking him. Ichiraku happened to be Naruto's favorite joint and there was a time, when they were only freshmen, when the blond had managed to drag them all into eating their infamous ramen for two months straight. He was sick to his stomach just thinking about it, but when Sakura turned to him as she pulled her keys from the ignition, asking him if he was ready, all he could think about was being alone in a booth with her. Eating lunch. Like a date.

Ichiraku was packed, as usual. But they were immediately pointed to a booth in the very back, in a small corner. Which was all too convenient. If Sakura had qualms about being seen in public with a student, she didn't show it. If anything, it was him who kept looking around and checking over his shoulder for familiar faces and prying eyes while she focused on the menu.

"Hi, can I get you guys anything to drink−oh! Haruno-sensei!"

Their waiter seemed to totally forget that he was a waiter as he caught sight of Sakura. His hands that held a small notepad and a pen for their orders lowered slowly to his sides. Once again, Sasuke found himself having to watch her flirting−no, exchanging pleasantries out of courtesy−with some other guy. He couldn't even listen to what they were saying, too busy scrutinizing this new person. And judging by the title he referred to her with, he was exactly the type of person they were on a lookout for.

He was blushing furiously, smiling too much, and he couldn't even look her in the eyes. He was painfully awkward, which placated Sasuke a little bit.

"−oh, and it's going to be water for me, please," Sakura added, politely ending their little chat and reminding the boy that he had a job to do.

"And you, sir−Uchiha-senpai?!" he said with a start. Surprised, he looked from Sakura to Sasuke, then back again. He looked confused and, worse, scandalized. Sasuke didn't even know him.

"Just water for me, as well," he said quickly, eager to dismiss the waiter before Sakura started to realize the repercussions of taking him out to lunch and overthinking the whole situation. He also ordered their ramen for the both of them, just so the waiter wouldn't have to come back more times; miso for him and shoyu for her, her favorite. The waiter walked away, but without looking over his shoulder with a frown on his face at the Uchiha. Sasuke realized how truly ugly jealousy was.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just… I forgot it's not really appropriate for us to hangout like this."

"He won't talk, don't worry."

She raised a delicate pink brow at him, an amused smile playing on her lips. "How do you know?"

He smirked and just shrugged. Gossip has always surrounded Sasuke, whether it be rumors from girls who crushed on him or boys who envied him. But he found that ever since Suigetsu had started hanging around him, the rumor mill veered to the other direction. Perks of being acquainted with an ex-gangster, he guessed. "I didn't know you were so popular with your students," he said, turning the attention back to her.

She propped an elbow on the table and rested her cheek on the palm of her hand. "Of course. I'm a good teacher."

"That's not what I meant." Sakura was beautiful, and she knew it. She attracted attention anywhere she went, she couldn't possibly be oblivious to the number of heads she turned.

"Says the high school heartthrob,"she huffed. She rolled her eyes incredulously and he glared at her. He loathed that word. "I'm not the one who has girls hanging from windows just to catch a glimpse of me in all my shirtless glory."

His brows furrowed slightly. Girls in windows? Him, shirtless? Those kinds of things only ever happened when he freshened up after PE, and she was never around for that period. Not that he knew of, at least. "Sakura," he grinned, teasing. "I didn't know you peeped on me in school."

Her hands flattened against the table and she gaped at him. Color rushed to fill her entire face, starting from the base of her neck up to the tips of her ears. He found himself biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning too widely. Unable to find a dignified retort, she pouted at him. "You're such a prick when you're jealous," she whined.

"I'm not jealous," he muttered, even though he had already admitted to it earlier. A futile attempt at saving face, really.

"You're right," she said cattily. At the same time, the waiter had arrived and placed their bowls in front of them. "You're a prick _all _the time." The waiter snorted and Sasuke glared viciously at him. He then lowered his head slightly before walking away.

"Itadakimasu," they both muttered, and began to eat in comfortable, companionable silence for a moment. It was after Sasuke's fourth mouthful of noodles and while Sakura was sipping her soup that he started up the conversation again. "So, that Kiba guy…"

Sakura threw her head back, squeezed her eyes shut and groaned in frustration. "God, Sasuke-kun," she said exasperatedly. "Does it bother you? Is that it? It bothers you that you're not the only male person I know?"

_Well−no. Slightly. Maybe. Yes_.

"Do you like him?"

She rolled her eyes and blew softly on her noodles before answering him. "We're friends. He's a good guy. I like hanging out with him, he's a good person to talk to. He's, like, the _only _new friend I've made since I got here."

"Do you like fucking him?" he asked offhandedly.

She gagged on her noodles before swallowing sharply. He pushed her water towards her when she started choking. She scowled at him. "Watch your mouth, kid," she admonished, before taking careful sips of water.

"Not a kid," he said almost too sharply.

Her eyes softened at that, and she resumed her attention to her ramen. "No," she agreed, nodding her head twice. "No, you're not."

They fell into silence yet again, and they finished their meal without saying another word. Sasuke groaned internally the entire time. His jealousy really was going to be the end of it all, wasn't it? Even worse was when the waiter came back to hand them the check. Sasuke reached into his pocket and realized that he didn't have his wallet on him−he had gone for a run that morning and didn't really expect for anything that happened afterwards to happen at all. But it didn't matter as Sakura had already handed in her card. Sasuke glowered when the other boy raised a brow at him.

"Hey," she said, finally breaking the tense silence once they were back in her car. She bit her lip, like she was mulling something over. "There's… one last stop I want to make before I drop you off."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

The structure that stood before him was beautiful. The architecture was intricate and sophisticated, with pillars on either side and even though it was darkened with time, the marble still looked good. It looked like an old little house. Sasuke didn't even remember the last time he had been here. He paused at the bottom of the steps, looking up with unsure, watchful eyes. The tall double doors loomed intimidatingly above him, and he found that he felt as small as he did when he was twelve. A slight wave of relief washed over him when she felt Sakura's fingers slide between his, squeezing lightly.

They moved forward together, climbing up the five steps that led to his family's mausoleum. Inside was three columbarium walls. From floor to ceiling were rows upon rows of plaques that held the same name, _Uchiha_, with an uchiwa fan engraved on every one. There was something rather morbid about being here, knowing that there was a spot in one of these walls reserved just for him.

He led Sakura straight ahead, where he remembered his parents were.

Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, right next to each other. His throat tightened. His mother had accompanied her father on a business meeting, and neither of them had returned. They died in a car accident on the way back from Kiri. Roads were slippery from snow, the police had told him and his brother.

He stopped a foot short from where they were, while Sakura took a few more steps forward. She dropped his hand so she could lay her palms flat against the cold stone, right where their names were. "Mikoto-san," she said gently, voice a little shaky. She had her back to him, but he could tell there were tears in her eyes. "Your sons are all grown up. Fine young men, these two are−well, Sasuke-kun has a bit of an attitude problem, but… he'll be alright."

He scoffed, despite the tightening feeling in his throat. Then she turned to his father's plaque. "Itachi's engaged," she continued, "and he's so happy. He's really hardworking, too, just like you, sir. And Sasuke-kun's graduating soon−in the running for valedictorian if he keeps up the good work. They're both doing really well. You'd be so proud of them."

She stepped back, as if to look at them both. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'll look after your boys for you, so you don't have to worry."

She spent a few more minutes with her head lowered in prayer. Finally, she gave a low bow, which she held for a moment, before turning back to the only living Uchiha in the room. He saw that her eyes were shiny with tears she hasn't shed yet and the tip of her nose was red. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her face into his chest and he felt a wetness starting to soak through her shirt as she shook against him. He wrapped her arms around her as she soundlessly cried, threading his fingers through her hair.

"Are you ready?" he asked, when she let go and her sniffles have subsided. She swiped her sleeves over her cheeks to wipe away her tears.

"Don't you… have anything to say to them?"

He had many things to say, given that so much has happened since the last time he saw them. He could talk about how awkward and unhelpful their elder son had been when he had gone through puberty, or how Naruto had accidentally broken otou-san's favorite vase and the three of them all worked to piece it back together, or Sakura's move to Konoha and how he has been so absolutely in love with her−and how okaa-san had been right when she'd teased him about crushing on her all those years ago. He had so many things to say and stories to tell. But it all boiled down to how he missed them and he wished they were here. And that just wasn't a conversation he was ready to have.

"Not really," he said.

She nodded, respecting his reservation, and took his hand in hers again as they walked out of the mausoleum. They sat on one of the cold benches just outside the cemetery gates. "Why did you want to come here?" he asked.

"You talked about them while you were sick and it made me realize that I haven't paid my respects yet."

His brows furrowed. He had almost forgotten that Sakura didn't always live in Konoha, that she had been in Suna at the time and she hadn't even been able to come to the funeral. "I'm sorry," he said, "that Itachi and I… never contacted you."

She shook her head vehemently, placing her hand on top of his. "No, no, Sasuke-kun, I understand," she said, green eyes boring into his. "It must have been so hard for you two. You were so young…"

If he was being honest, a huge chunk of that period of his life was lost on him now. There were many things he didn't remember because he had simply stopped paying attention. It was as if he had shut down, numb to the world around him. Itachi did his best to be there for him, but he had been struggling, too. On top of carrying their parents' loss, he had his studies, then had to work to provide for the two of them. They had other family, of course, and they chipped in when they could. The Uzumakis were also more than willing to give them anything they needed. But they weren't raised by their parents to live off of other people's charity.

Sasuke didn't even remember when or how he started feeling again, but he knew that Naruto, Karin, and even Suigetsu had something to do with it.

The sky was already orange when they left the cemetery, hand in hand and shoulders almost touching as they went. Itachi wasn't home yet when Sakura pulled into the driveway, and she walked him to the door. He didn't want to go, not yet. As eventful as the day had already been, he wasn't quite ready to part with her yet. She stood right next to him and he missed her already. _Gods_, he was hopeless.

A small smile adorned her face when she turned to him, and she stood on the tips of her toes as she wound her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gingerly at first, but he couldn't help but want to hold her tighter, closer. "Thank you for taking me to see your parents," she breathed.

He tried not to scoff at the sentiment. She didn't _see _his parents and she never will. That was sort of the point of death. But he chose not to say anything in regards to it. "I'm sorry for behaving the way I did. This morning. And at lunch." _And all the other times I was a pain in the ass_.

She giggled.

Eventually, she pulled back and flattened her feet on the ground, but her hands remained on his shoulders and his hands had slid to her waist. Her brows furrowed slightly as her eyes drifted to his lips, her own mouth parting almost with uncertainty. His fingers sank deeper and deeper into the material of her sweatshirt as his grip tightened around her, eyes darkening as their eyes met again.

Almost mindlessly, he dipped his head forward and pressed his lips against hers. Chaste and innocent, over before either of them could register it. She gasped at the contact, but didn't pull away. Their gazes remained on each other's lips, so he pulled her against him and kissed her more earnestly.

The kiss was the summers they spent together and the summers they didn't. The kiss was loving her from afar, silently and in secret. The kiss was all the times he watched her harbor unrequited feelings and cried over them, and all he wanted was to take all that pain from her and bear them on his own. And the kiss is him, being given the chance to do so, and more.

It's not graceful, the way he kissed her. He's too eager and desperate, too inexperienced, and his teeth clashed with hers. But then something magical happened and her hand was suddenly on his chest while the other cupped the nape of his neck, steadying him. But she still didn't pull away. Instead, she pressed her lips firmly against his, dominating the kiss. And it's like a slow dance, the way she was guiding him. It was all too sweet and too perfect.

When she parted his lips and coaxed his tongue into her own mouth, he couldn't help but stumble forward until he had her pressed against the door. Her soft tugging on his hair had him groaning into her mouth, and she kissed him even more fervently in kind. He cupped her face in his hands, desperately pulling her closer. He kissed her fully and deeply. He wanted to erase Kiba from her skin and Itachi from her mind.

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing heavily and gasping for air. He thought maybe, just maybe, this had been a small victory. Her eyes were so bright when she looked into his eyes. In that moment, he was all she saw.


	8. eight

**a/n**: this might start to sound redundant but i am always so grateful for all the support, the reviews, and the positivity. to answer a guest, **A**, right now my outline tells me that there should be around 15 chapters. but considering that this was originally supposed to be a three-shot when i first started conceptualizing, there are high chances that that would change.

i have a question: should i put this up on ao3? does it even matter? personally not a fan of that site just bc i think ffn is simpler and more straightforward but idk, should i?

* * *

_**chapter eig h t**_

To say that Sakura was nervous was a grave understatement. She sat in her office chair with her back rigidly straight, one heeled foot tapping loudly against the floor. If the noise was bothering any of the few other teachers in the faculty office, nobody said a thing. Not when the greenie teacher was looking so intensely at her monitor that it would crack if she stared any longer. Her fingers moved heavily and rapidly across her keyboard, almost smashing on each key.

Asuma, the husband of the chemistry teacher she had replaced, scratched his temple nervously a few desks down from her. He wondered which one of her brats was setting her off like this. He assumed someone must have gotten really low scores, maybe caused a ruckus in class, or whatever. But he had never been more wrong in his life.

Haruno-sensei had crossed a line with a student. And now she was no longer sure where they stood.

She thought of what her best friend had told her over the phone just a few nights ago, a simple test: "_If he isn't your student and he isn't Itachi's little brother, what would you do if he kissed you again?"_

She paused in her typing, breathed in and breathed out. Absentmindedly, she touched her lips with the tips of her fingers. _I kissed him back_, she thought. And quite eagerly, at that. She slapped her hands over her reddening cheeks, remembering it all so vividly. The kiss was far from perfect−she wouldn't be surprised if it was his first kiss. But it was almost ridiculous how… _right _it all felt.

_Gods, why do you test me like this?_

"You can set the notebooks on my desk over there−right next to Haruno-sensei."

The gods must have heard her thoughts and decided it would be fun to play with her even more. She had only glanced over to Kakashi's desk because the movement caught her eyes, but she immediately froze when she saw who it was her favorite co-worker was slaving for today. Embarrassingly enough, the first thought that crossed her mind when she saw the reluctant and grumbling Uchiha was how he had had his tongue down her throat just a night ago.

"I−uh, h-hi," she stammered. Immediately, she cringed at the way she sounded.

"Haruno-sensei." He only nodded his head slightly at her in recognition, cool as ever. Totally unaffected, unlike her. A vein in his temple twitched as he turned back to his literature teacher. "Is that all, _sensei_?" he ground out. He referred to the older man with too much venom to be respectful, but Kakashi didn't seem to mind.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as a smile formed behind his mask. "Always so charming, Sasuke." He dismissed the boy with a simple wave of his hand and Sasuke walked out of the office without so much as another look at her.

She tried not to be so affected by his suddenly distant demeanor. Immediately collecting herself, she returned her attention to the work she should be doing. But it wasn't so easy to focus on inputting the grades of her six different classes into the system when she could feel someone's eyes on her. Frazzled, she turned to Kakashi and raised her brows inquisitively at him. The amusement was evident in his eyes as he leaned back into his chair, so far that the back of it bent backwards to accommodate him.

"For a teacher, you're blushing like a schoolgirl," he teased.

She opened her mouth to retort, but the loud vibration of her phone cut her off. It was a message from Sasuke, simple and curt:

_Rooftop. Lunch._

It wasn't totally uncharacteristic of Sasuke to send texts that are plain and straightforward. If anything, if he had sent an elaborate, well-constructed message with more details, she would have to call the cops because surely he had been kidnapped. So she didn't know why her stomach twisted anxiously. What if… he has decided that he no longer liked her? Did she not feel what she felt when they kissed? Was that it? The kiss had meant nothing to him and he has finally realized that what he felt for her was nothing but an innocent childhood crush, a passing fancy−everything she had suspected it to be at first.

She shook her head slightly now, as she stood before her class and launched into the basics of the periodic table and how to correctly read the information across the colorful rows and columns. But even as she talked about the elements and their properties, their atomic numbers and electron configurations, she couldn't shake her worries away. It was almost ridiculous how masterful she was at multitasking, speaking flawlessly in front of a bunch of teenagers while her nerves and her mind were wracked with anxiety.

It shouldn't even matter to her. She shouldn't care if his feelings for her had changed; if anything, she should feel relieved. He was making things easier for her. He was making the choice for her, the choice she hasn't been sure how to make.

By the time Sakura reached the rooftop, she was jittery and it was windy. Her hair whipped wildly against her cheeks and the hem of her crepe pants slapped against her ankles with the strong breeze. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms to keep warm. Winter was fast-approaching, and she's immediately reminded that this was the first Christmas she would be spending away from home−or maybe not. She didn't need to be so melodramatic, she can just go home for the occasion since school would be out anyway.

Below her, through the chain link fence, she could see students in jogging pants edging out of the running track in small clusters, and she knew that Sasuke was on his way to where she was. Her heart pounded with every second that he wasn't there yet. And by the time the heavy door opened, she was already sitting on the ground with her knees to her chest and her forehead resting on her arms folded on her knees.

She started when the door closed with a resounding bang. When she raised her head, Sasuke was already standing before her. His hair was a little damp, from washing himself after his PE class, and he was back in his white button-up uniform. There was also a bandaid where his bruise was. She pushed herself to her feet as he wordlessly walked towards her, hands in his pocket and face impassive. She reached behind her and curled her fingers into the fence to keep from fidgeting with them. They both looked down at their feet, unable to meet each other's eyes.

Sakura could feel her heart−the _entire _organ−in her throat.

"I know I said that I'm not asking for anything in return," he started slowly, his voice so low she had to strain her ears to catch his words. "But you kissed me back. You kissed me back and I can't just ignore that."

She turned her head so fast she might have gotten whiplashed, eyes snapping up to him only to find that he was already looking at her. She couldn't believe the relief that washed over her in that moment.

Sasuke has always been a beautiful boy. With silky black hair and fair skin, angular and aristocratic features, long, feathery eyelashes. She had joked when he was still small, when she first noticed the little girls in Suna blushing but still unabashedly looking on after him, that he would someday grow up to be quite the heartbreaker. She teased him relentlessly, ordered him around, endlessly bickered with him, and annoyed him just for the fun of it, the way older siblings often did with their younger siblings. That's what he's always been to her, a younger brother. A younger brother whom she loved and cared for.

But why was her heart racing? Why did her knees feel so weak when looked at her like that? Why was she so scared that he didn't like her anymore? Why did she want him to kiss her again?

He pushed himself off the fence and stood before her. Before she could say anything, he'd hooked his fingers into the chain-wires above her head so that he was looming over her, caging her in with his arms on either side of her. Involuntarily, she backed up until she could feel crisscross digging into her back, through the material of her blazer. She found herself being overwhelmed by him. All she could see was Sasuke. All she could feel was Sasuke. The air she breathed was Sasuke.

But he wasn't really her younger brother, was he? No. Her mouth ran dry. _I don't want you to be my little brother right now._

He bent down a little so that she was looking directly into the pools of black that were his eyes, and it terrified her how easily she drowned in them. "Choose me," he said quietly, eyes imploring. "Over Kiba. Over Itachi. Over whoever the fuck else−choose _me_."

Slowly, her gaze dragged from his eyes, down the slope of his nose, to the perfect curve of his lips. "Why did you kiss me back?" he asked, his voice now barely above a husky whisper. Her eyes watched the way his mouth moved to form each syllable, completely entranced.

"I… I don't know," she answered shakily, but truthfully.

He reached down and gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and the momentary brush of his finger against her cheekbone sent shivers down her spine and made her entire body tremble. His finger glided across her skin lightly, tracing a line from behind her ear down her jaw, until he was cupping her chin between the pad of his thumb and the middle of his index finger. Her mouth parted slightly with a gasp and the movement caught his hungry eyes. "If you push me away now, I'll respect your decision and we can go back to the way things were." He jerked her chin so that she would meet his eyes again. "But if you give me any indication that you want me, too, I won't let you run away anymore."

Slowly, he leaned in closer. Close enough that their foreheads touched, that his hot breath fanned her cheeks, that his nose skimmed hers. And just when his lips were only a scant centimeter away from hers, he stopped and met her eyes again, to give her a chance to push him away, to refuse him, to ask for permission to continue. A whine lodged itself in her throat.

She appreciated it, really. His respect for her boundaries and his consideration, but she was already _aching _with an overwhelming need. She raised her hands and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and urged him closer. That was all the answer he needed. He slanted his lips over hers and she took no time in leaning into it.

She knotted her fists in his shirt and pulled him against her. The hand that held her chin moved to grip the side of her neck and he tilted her head upward. With a nudge of his thumb, her lips parted wider and he pushed his tongue into her mouth. His other arm wound around her waist, squeezing her, and the weight of his body crushed her against the fence. And still, he wasn't close enough. _Closer_, she urged in her head, _closerclosercloser. _She gently bit down and tugged on his lower lip and, involuntarily, his hips jerked sharply and deliciously against her.

The wind roared in her ears and she could feel the erratic beating of her heart in every part of her body. The creaking and ringing of the fence underneath their pressing weight was the only thing that grounded her, reminding her that they were still on school grounds and this was all very, very wrong, and that they could be caught any second now

Just as her lungs began to burn, his mouth left hers to trail down the line of her jaw, alternating between butterfly kisses and gentle nips that just drove her mad. She trailed her hand up his chest, to snake to the back of his neck before she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled. "Stop−_stop_," she gasped. It only took one last nip on her skin before his mouth was completely off of her.

Sasuke pulled back a little, almost reluctantly. His eyes searched hers, so full of concern and worry, and she was suddenly filled with such affection for him. She wrapped her arms around him and he rested his cheek against her temple. "What happens now?" he asked after a moment, the low rumble of his voice right next to her ear.

She swallowed thickly, trying to find her voice again. "I'm still your teacher," she said, forcing herself to sober up and come down from the high he's given her. "We have to be discreet. We have to be a secret−until graduation, at least."

"And," she added quickly. She reached behind to his hands, locked on her back, and disentangled his arms from around her waist. "We keep things slow." She pushed him by the shoulders and held him at arm's length, ignoring how cold she immediately felt once he was no longer pressed against her. Firmly, she continued, "I'm still older than you and that makes you my responsibility. I don't want to take advantage."

He shook his head slightly, brows knitting together. "But you're not taking advantage of me. You can do whatever you want to me."

The expression on his face didn't give away the seductive undertones of the statement and she realized that he didn't even seem to understand what he had just said, or the effect that they had on her. She didn't even know when she had started wanting him this badly, only that this want was now overwhelming her in waves. _Gods, he'll be the death of me_.

"Tempting offer, but I'd like to think I have more self-control than that." _I don't. I really don't_. But she had to try. For him.

Sighing, Sakura dropped her hands from his shoulders to hold both of his hands between them. "Sasuke-kun," she said, looking deeply into his eyes, "I want to do this the right way."

She didn't want either of them to have regrets, or either of them to get hurt−especially him. She wouldn't be able to bear it if she hurt him.

Sasuke looked down at their intertwined fingers for a moment, before pulling her to him and closing the gap between them again. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her a little more loosely this time, and rested his chin on top of her head. "Okay," he murmured. She felt him bury his nose in her hair and breathe in. They stayed like that for a few more minutes, just holding and breathing each other.

These last few weeks had been the most unbearably confusing time for her. But now, in the circle of his arms, all the doubts faded away. She hasn't felt so peaceful in such a long time, so safe and comfortable. She might not know exactly what she felt for him, but there was no longer a point in denying that she wanted to be with him−that it felt _right _to be with him. And gods, she hasn't felt right in so long.

His arms tightened around her for a split second before pulling away from their embrace, pressing a kiss on her forehead as he went. He looked down at her, long and hard, as though he was hesitating. "Hey, can you…" he finally started, albeit unsurely, "come over tomorrow and help me with that homework you assigned?"

She laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "Sounds very romantic, Sasuke-kun."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sakura didn't see Sasuke for the rest of the day and he didn't try to seek her out again, either. They both had a lot to process. They were… in a relationship now. She had a boyfriend−Uchiha _Sasuke _was her _boyfriend_. Yeah, they both had a lot to process. She couldn't even remember the last time she was in an exclusive relationship. Her third year in high school, maybe? That was so long ago she felt old just thinking about it. But she felt light, tingling from head to toe. She was almost giddy, smiling so wide at nothing in particular as she strolled down the aisles of the local market. The old lady that rang up her groceries even looked at her weirdly. But she couldn't help it, the corners of her mouth were defying gravity at the moment.

It was just before she reached the doors that she heard a voice that was distantly familiar.

"Pancake!" she heard someone say. It had been so loud and enthusiastic that she had to look over her shoulder to see what it was about the pancake that had this man so overjoyed and excited. Instead, she's met with a tall boy with curly black hair. Uchiha Shisui walked towards her, in a black tux with a red bow tie, holding two bags of groceries in one hand.

She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Pancake?" she asked, in way of greeting when he reached her. She gawked at him when he vaguely waved his free hand towards the direction of her chest.

Shisui just laughed. The sound was so light, so young and so boyish, as he casually threw an arm over her shoulders and turned her around to walk her to the exit. "There's a small takoyaki stand outside. My treat," he said, as an invitation. Immediately, he added, "But only one order!"

Sakura would never say no to free food. Not that he was giving her an option to refuse. He only let go of her once they reached the stand and he kindly asked the vendor for two sets of takoyaki. "So, how's your day been, teach?" he asked, resting his elbows on the little bar as he turned to her.

"Uneventful," she shrugged. A blatant lie. But she couldn't just come out and tell him that she's been making out with his fiancé's little brother. Changing the subject, she reached out and flicked the bow tie under his collar as he placed her food in front of her. "You look way too expensive for this right now," she teased.

It was quite a picture, really. Him, dressed to the nines, dining at a shabby little kiosk just a little ways to the side of a grocery store.

"Company event," he said simply. He picked up a ball with his toothpick and instead of blowing on it first, he put the whole thing in his mouth. The reaction was immediate. He started jumping on the balls of his feet, hand flailing over his mouth, which hung open as he breathed like an asthmatic dragon. Yeah. Quite the picture.

He was still hissing when he yanked at the material of her blazer. "An' shpeak foh y'self−" he swallowed thickly. "You make me feel like I'm in detention."

She liked Shisui. The first time she learned of his existence as Itachi's long-term boyfriend, she had dreaded meeting him. She could only imagine the encounter to be painful, or worse, it would make her spiteful and petty. But he was charming and he'd been able to put her at ease the moment she met him, with the way he held with such welcoming arms and talked to her like they were old friends.

"Sooo…" Sakura blew gently on her takoyaki. She wasn't about to make an ungraceful display like he did. "Itachi's gonna be at this big, fancy shindig, too?"

"Mhmm. I'm surprised he didn't call you up to babysit the shrimp again."

She shook her head at him, even though her wide smile could be as good as a laugh. His nicknames were incredibly rude, and even offensive if he wasn't so lighthearted and humorous. But something caught her eyes when he set his bags on the bar, tired from the weight hanging off of his arm. One bag was full of a variety of things, but it was the other bag that had her smiling even more. It was all red, round, and shining with freshness. She giggled at the sight of it, and that Shisui had bought them himself. "Is that just… for Sasuke?"

"Yeah, it's ridiculous," he said. He looked like he swallowed something nasty. "He busts a nut just looking at those."

Her face twisted in disgust, but she still couldn't help but laugh. "Your mouth is so dirty! I can't imagine how Itachi can stand you!"

He turned to her at that, a suggestive look on his face. Her laugh died down and she averted her gaze, cheeks heating up slightly. Nope. She did _not _want to go there. She shoved a takoyaki into her mouth. "Ne, Shisui," she started after she swallowed. She picked at her food unsurely. "I actually still don't know how you two got together."

He snorted. "He doesn't like talking about it. He gets too embarrassed," he said smugly. He shifted so that he was facing her fully, and she didn't have a choice but to watch him launch into the story of how she ultimately lost to him. "We met when he interned at the firm, you know that part. I asked him out three days after knowing him, can you believe that? I never do that. But get this−he rejected me. Can you believe _that_?"

He paused, as if waiting for a reaction. But she only stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "You look like you think it's believable," he accused, astounded. She shifted her gaze awkwardly and continued to eat her food in silence. His face fell at her wordless confirmation. "Oh, you bitch."

"I mean−I don't know!" she said defensively. "I didn't even think you were Itachi's type! You look like you play too much…"

"I've never been more offended in my life," he said, deadpan. Then with a shit-eating grin, he added, "I'm everyone's type, pancake."

Shisui finished up his plate and disposed of it in the nearby trash. When he came back, his expression has softened. It was the first time she was seeing this look on his pretty face. There was a gentle fondness to his eyes and his smile, so unlike his playful smirks and the teasing games he played with his eyes. "He already liked me then, I could tell. It's why I asked him out in the first place. But you know him, Mister Goody Two-shoes. He wanted to wait until his internship ended because it would be−" he raised his hands and formed air quotes, exaggeratedly rolling her eyes as he said, "'−inappropriate to be romantically involved with his supervisor.'"

"I can see him saying that," she muttered, nervously now. She could only imagine what this would mean for her and Sasuke.

"It doesn't really matter now because I get to marry him, right? But it was absolute fucking _torture_, working with him everyday," he continued, unaware of Sakura's predicament. "He reveres rules. Never broken a law−I don't think he's even _jaywalked_. Hey, Sakura. How much would you bet that he'd rather piss himself than jaywalk to the closest bathroom across the street?"

Sakura was lost in her thoughts again. She had known that this affair with Sasuke would be kept under the wraps, a secret everyone else wasn't privy to. But Itachi was her friend, Sasuke's brother, and she hadn't put him under the '_everyone else_' category. She should have known this, though. She should have expected it. He would never stand for the impropriety of it all.

She sighed, forcing a smile on her lips in response. "A month's paycheck."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Shisui walked her to her car. He loaded her single bag of groceries into the back of her Jeep and he opened the door for her like the gentleman he rarely was. And it wasn't until he disappeared from any of her mirrors that she let herself panic. She reached for her purse and scrambled through its contents, fishing out her phone.

Ino answered after two rings.

Sakura spoke quickly. "I have a boyfriend and Itachi's going to kill me. He is _absolutely _going to kill me."


	9. nine

_**chapter ni n e**_

It was ridiculous. It was absolute torture. It was only four days ago that he had her pressed against a chain link fence, kissing her deeply while she kissed him back with fervor, and ever since then it had become his moral duty to act like he didn't know her whenever they were at school. He had to sit in his chair and watch her interact warmly with her students, his own peers, praising them for their good work and casually joking with them because she was that kind of teacher−down to earth and friendly, the type who was everybody's favorite. And that made her all the more unreachable to him in this setting.

Sasuke didn't mind at all that their relationship had to be kept under wraps. He has always been a particularly private person and his relationship was nobody's business but his, and the moment his meddling friends and his brother and−gods forbid−Shisui found out that he had a girlfriend, they would most definitely make it _their _business. Especially when said girlfriend was Haruno Sakura. So this way, he would at least have the few months until graduation to have his girlfriend to himself. Besides, keeping it a secret, keeping it between just the two of them, only made it all the more intimate.

But there were moments when he wished he could tell someone that he had a girlfriend, if only to keep flirts away from him, the girls from school especially. They were getting bolder now that finals were just a few weeks away and they actually had an excuse to seek him out.

"Sasuke-kun!"

A vein in his temple twitched in annoyance. It hadn't been a second since Sakura dismissed them when a girl sitting in front of the classroom shot out of her seat and sauntered over to his desk with an obscene sway of her hips. It was only the third period and she was already probably around the fifth girl to approach him, inviting him to _study_.

"Ano… I'm really struggling with Geometry and I was wondering if you could come over to my house and… be my tutor?" She pouted her glossy lips and batted her lashes for effect. She stepped forward and leaned against his desk, her skirt folded at the waist to expose more of her legs. He frowned distastefully. He didn't understand why they tried so hard−too hard.

"I don't do tutoring," he said simply, coldly. He looked ahead and found their pink-haired teacher dusting her hands off as she finished erasing notes she had written on the chalkboard. She met his eyes and her brows shot up in surprise when she spotted his predicament.

"Well," his classmate continued. "Maybe we can do something else."

_I have a girlfriend _sat dangerously on the tip of his tongue and he swore that if he opened his mouth, those would be the first words to shoot out of him. So it was a good thing that said girlfriend spoke up.

"I need a volunteer," she announced, patting the stacks of binders and homework she collected earlier. She made a show of looking around the room as several hands shot up, but Sasuke was already rising from his seat. The girl before him looked like she was about to reach out for him, so he hurried towards Sakura. "Uchiha-kun, please carry these to my office."

Sasuke didn't miss the stares that followed after them as they exited the room. He never volunteered to do anything, much less play at being teacher's pet. But here he was, trailing after Haruno-sensei with heavyweight stacks on his arms. The walk to her prep room felt longer than it should have, especially when everyone they passed seemed to have something to say to her. But the attention wasn't all on her, of course. He didn't know how or why but everyone seemed to have caught wind that he was outside the comforts of his own classroom, and some girls have purposefully loitered in the hallways while their teacher wasn't in yet.

"I didn't expect for your popularity to peak during finals," Sakura teased, as she held her office door open for him. She gave him a wink and a thumbs up. "Thank you for keeping everyone so motivated and proactive."

He only rolled his eyes as he lowered the stacks he carried onto her desk. She was next to him in a second, sifting through different folders in preparation for her next class. He knew that he should go, that his task here was done and it was time to return to the classroom, head to the locker rooms then the gym with the rest of his classmates. Not to mention that she had her own stuff to do. But instead of walking out of the prep room, he moved to stand behind her, hands close to her hips as he touched his fingers to her desk, caging her in yet again.

With his head bowed slightly towards her, he heard her breath hitch. The sound of rustling paper suddenly stopped. "You should go," she said, her voice clipped. "You're going to be late for class."

"It's just PE," he murmured quietly. She turned around in his arms, as if to scold him, but froze when she realized how close they were, the tips of their noses almost touching. Color filled her entire face almost instantly. She took a shaky step back, until she was pressing herself against her desk.

"But… you like PE." She sounded so small as she spoke he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her.

"But I like you, too, remember?" he whispered. He didn't miss the way her lips parted slightly when her green eyes dropped to his own mouth. He pressed his forehead against hers, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was in pain−which he felt like he was, feeling so powerless and constantly losing control over himself whenever Sakura was around. He didn't want her to be his teacher right now, he wanted his girlfriend.

He pressed his lips against hers, softly at first, then a little more firmly, until she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him in deeper. Sasuke liked kissing Sakura. He liked how soft her lips were and the way she tasted, the only sweet his tongue could ever be fond of. He liked the soft, sweet sounds she made, and the way her fingers traced his skin and pulled at his hair. He enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against him, which was exactly why he felt like the rug was pulled from underneath him when she abruptly pushed him away, holding him at arm's length. He had to hold onto her to keep his balance.

"Shit," she gasped, eyes wide and wild as she looked at him. "_I'm_ going to be late for class."

She started fixing herself, hastily smoothing her clothes and patting down her hair. He turned to make his leave when she busied herself with her things, gathering her textbook and her notes. "Um, Sasuke-kun?" she called out just as he reached the door. He turned around and found her clutching her book to her chest, cheeks still flushed as she looked up at him almost shyly. "You can… you can come here during lunch."

He raised a brow questioningly at her invitation. It was the complete opposite of being _discreet_, which was what they were originally aiming for. Hurriedly, she added, "Only if you want to!"

He couldn't fight the upwards tug of the corner of his mouth as he watched her, unable to meet his eyes, biting her lips and twiddling her fingers.

Sasuke wasn't stupid. Sakura had been in love with his brother for so long and he didn't expect those feelings to disappear overnight. But it was at least comforting to know that he had the same effect on her that she had on him. That she was at his mercy just as he was at hers.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

It all got worse during PE. There seemed to be a different girl approaching him every five minutes, interrupting his little two-by-two basketball game with Naruto, Suigetsu, and Neji, who seemed to be offended that people kept coming up to the Uchiha for academic support instead of the class president himself. He was easily placated when Suigetsu explained that what these girls wanted was more than just academic support, which earned him a glare from Sasuke.

He couldn't even wash himself in the communal sink, so he had to wash himself in the boys' bathroom, doing the best he could with the small sink.

"Man, if I were straight, I'd totally want girls to throw themselves at me!" Naruto said.

Sasuke raised his sopping head to glare at him in the mirror, only to find that he sat balancing himself on top of a stall door with his legs hanging on either side of it. He was about to tell him to get down from there when another voice piped in. "But they're not throwing themselves at Sasuke, they're dragging him down to them."

"Thanks, Karin," he said, appreciating her coming to his defense, "but this is the boys' bathroom."

She paused in her loud, open-mouthed chewing of gum to shoot him a disgusted look from where she was perched on the sink next to him. "Don't be sexist."

"I… I'm not−" he began to explain, but immediately felt his brain cells dying. No proper conversation could be held in a boys' bathroom, especially when it was already difficult to have a proper conversation with his friends in a regular setting. He lowered his head back under running water and was in peace for a few more minutes before the door was thrown open with a loud bang.

Suigetsu had taken it upon himself to stay outside and stand guard, but now here he was, already unzipping his slacks even before he entered a stall. "I need to take a whizz," he said, kicking open the door Naruto was on. The blond then froze and lowered himself with a yelp, hugging the door so that he wouldn't topple over.

Karin handed Sasuke a towel to dry off with just as the two started to bicker. The acoustics of the bathroom only served to amplify their pointless shouting match, and Sasuke half-wished he had filled his ears with water to tune them out.

"You a peepin' tom now, huh?!"

"Even if I did peep on you, there's _nothing _to see! It's goddamn _tiny_!"

"Why you−"

Karin jumped down from her throne and made a disgusted squealing sound as her feet hit the ground. She glared at Sasuke, as though it was him who was responsible for how piggish the boys were in this high school. He just raised his hands in surrender, then she finally turned her attention to the other two. "Enough!" she shouted, and silence quickly ensued.

Suigetsu emerged from the stall, cool and composed, perfectly well-behaved. He even went over to the sink Sasuke previously occupied and made a show of washing his hands. "Whipped," Naruto muttered as he hopped down from the door.

The other boy scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Gaara totally has you wrapped around his finger."

Naruto sputtered at that, looking as though he was imitating a blowfish. Sasuke quickly changed into his regular uniform, the white button-up shirt and slacks, before they started going at it again. When Naruto opened the locked bathroom door, they found that there was already a line of five waiting for them. Karin bristled as eyes followed her, boys in shock to see a senior girl coming out of their bathroom with three other boys. She glared venomously at them and Suigetsu slung an arm over her shoulders to calm her down.

"Teme!" Naruto called out when he noticed Sasuke silently slipping away from the group, headed for the stairs going up instead of the ones going down. "Cafeteria's this way!"

He frowned up at the Uchiha, who barely spared him a glance as he disappeared up to the third floor with nothing but a quiet "I'm not hungry."

He was an asshole for doing this, he knew, ditching his friends without so much as an explanation. But he couldn't help it, not when every muscle in his body was pulling him to wherever Sakura was. And he couldn't really tell them that. Not that he didn't trust them, because he did. Suigetsu probably wouldn't care enough, Karin wasn't one to gossip, and Naruto, even with his big mouth, would know how to keep his best friend's biggest secret. But it placated Sakura if nobody knew about them at all for now, so that's how they were going to keep things.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura beamed as he entered her office. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with her work materials scattered all over the couch behind her. There was an open box of pizza in front of her, already missing two slices. "I ordered pizza!" she said happily, already reaching for a third slice.

He couldn't help but grin at the setup as he took a seat next to her, sitting with his knees up so he could rest an arm on one. He reached into the pizza box and found that one half of it had dried tomatoes on them. He watched her from the corner of his eye, gobbling up her slice like it was the first thing she has eaten in weeks. And man, if he wasn't in love with her.

"Are we on a date?" he asked before taking a bite.

She shot him a funny look. But she was smiling, mouthful and all, cheeks pink as her hair. She playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "No, we're on a lunch break."

"Hn."

She reached behind her for papers to grade and in front of her for another slice. She handed him half of her stack of papers, along with a red pen and an answer key, and he took it without question. They ate and worked in silence. After a long moment, she rested her back against his shoulder, and he shifted slightly so that she fell against his chest when he wound an arm around her middle. If she felt how fast his heart was beating against her back, she didn't say anything. She merely lifted the pizza she was holding over her shoulder to let him take a bite, without pause in her grading. It was ridiculous, how natural it all felt and how it absolutely drove him mad how happy he was.

But for some reason, he couldn't help but think back to Naruto and Suigetsu's previous banter, no matter how stupid it was. He had seen Naruto make a fool of himself in front of Gaara and Suigetsu only ever bent for Karin. He couldn't help but wonder to himself, after pining for Sakura and adhering to all of the conditions she'd set over their relationship… was he _whipped_?

"Hey," she said after a moment. She rested her head back against his arm as she spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts. One look at her big eyes and her full cheeks, and he _knew_.. "I didn't see you in the courtyard today."

He smirked at the thought of her waiting for him in the courtyard, where he usually washed himself during PE. Feeling smug, he dipped his head slightly closer to her ear. "If you wanted to see me naked, all you have to do is ask, Sakura."

He felt her go rigid against him, before the ear he had whispered into turned hot and red entirely. He could only imagine the look on her face. "Sh-shut up!" She jabbed her elbow into his side, making him wince. "You were hiding, weren't you? There were a lot of girls waiting around for you there today…"

She tilted her head to look up at him when he didn't answer, his hand still on the sore spot she had hit. Her brows were knitted together, though she looked more concerned than angry. She shook her head. "That's not right," she said. "If you were a girl and people followed you around and grabbed you and _ogled _you like that, it would be called sexual harassment. The school would have acted a long time ago. You shouldn't have to hide, they should respect your space."

Unable to help himself, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her head. "Quit worrying about it."

"It's just annoying."

"Hn. Look who's talking."

He braced himself for another jab to his side, but nothing came. Instead, she turned slightly and reached up to cup the side of his neck, craning her own neck to capture his lips with hers. His breath hitched momentarily in surprise, before his mouth started moving along with hers.

Sakura pecked at the corner of his mouth before descending down the line of his jaw with soft nips. The hand on the side of her neck slid further to his nape, playing with the ends of his hair, as she peppered the other side of his neck with kisses. A breathy moan escaped him as she added more pressure to her lips as she planted openmouthed kisses, until he was wincing from a delicious stinging where she sucked on the skin right where his neck met his shoulder. Then he found himself groaning and gripping her tightly as she soothed the irritated skin with long, languid laps of her wet tongue.

She pulled away just as he began thinking that he really wouldn't mind not taking things slow. He didn't know when she'd shifted but she was straddling him now. She gazed thoughtfully down at the mark she made and she almost looked bashful when she met his eyes again. "I would talk to Principal Senjuu about your girl issue, but… just to keep unwanted attention away for now…"

"Unwanted attention, huh. I think _you're _subject to unwanted attention yourself, _sensei_." he said, reaching for the buttons on her shirt and undoing the top three. At least, he was smart enough to leave his mark somewhere nobody could see, for professional appearances.

She squeaked as he pushed the fabric aside, but made no move to stop him. He dipped his head towards her chest, where he planted a light kiss on the soft flesh just above her clothed breast. He peered up at her as his lips latched onto her skin, sucking hard. He's never given anyone a hickey before so he wasn't sure if he was doing it right, if he was sucking too hard or not hard enough at all, but he was good enough at mimicking what she did to him.

He was rewarded with the sight of her throwing her head back as a sharp gasp ripped through her, her stomach flexing under his palm. Her fingers curled into his hair and scratched his scalp. Then she sighed softly as he began peppering her chest with featherlight kisses, just stopping where his lips met the lacy material of her bra, before licking his way from the dip of her cleavage to her chin.

By the time he pulled away, she was looking at him with glazed eyes. She was breathing hard, and she was flushed from her neck down to her collarbone. She cupped his face and crashed her mouth to his, hungrily devouring him.

His frenzied hands moved beneath her blazer as they roamed her back, pulling her close and keeping her flush against him. They slowly traveled to her sides, moving up and down, trying to find purchase, to feel hot skin under his fingertips. He growled into her mouth when he couldn't seem to find the hem of her shirt.

He abruptly broke away and realized that she was wearing a jumpsuit. He frowned at the offending outfit. "Are you wearing this on purpose?" He fingered the soft material at her waist, where the hem should have been but instead extended into pants. Incredulously, he followed up, "How do you even pee in this?"

As if coming back to her senses, Sakura laughed airily and slipped back down to the floor next to him. "Oh my god," she groaned hopelessly, raising her hands to cover her face. She shook her head vehemently as she continued to laugh mirthlessly while he tried to steady the wild beating of his heart next to her. "You're going to be the death of me."

"I could say the same to you," he mumbled, still recovering from their heated moment.

She smiled sweetly at him, and he wanted to taste that smile of hers, wanted her on him again. But she only reached out to touch the hand rested on his knee, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. Wordlessly, they returned to the work they had abandoned, grading papers to pass the time.

Sasuke could still feel a tingling in his lips as he made it back to his own classroom.

"What happened to you?" He winced as Karin stood before him. Not even a second had passed since his ass touched his seat and she was already onto him, eyes on the mark barely concealed by the collar of his uniform. He was lucky that Naruto and Suigetsu were making trouble elsewhere, otherwise they would have made a scene right in the middle of the classroom.

"Mosquito bite."

He could only scowl up at her as her amused smirk widened. "This mosquito have a name, _Saucy_?"

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sasuke was almost excited to see a familiar green Jeep parked in his driveway.

His brother had taken a difficult criminal case and he was on the verge of hoping that his brother was staying late in the office as he often did these days, when he found Itachi's Mercedes right on the other side of Sakura's vehicle. And as luck would have it, not only was Itachi home, his boyfriend's BMW was also parked along the curb.

Sasuke groaned exasperatedly and trudged up to the front door of his own house.

Shisui, his older brother, and his girlfriend who still hasn't quite moved on from his older brother had somewhat become a trio of sorts over the past few days. And while Itachi has always been mild-mannered, Sakura rarely was, and Shisui certainly never was. The latter two had grown thick as thieves, and it was their life's mission to annoy the younger Uchiha to death. He braced himself for whatever disaster awaited him in his own home, and froze just as he entered the living room.

Here was Shisui, sitting on the couch braiding Itachi's long silky hair as he sat on the floor before him, while Itachi braided Sakura's pink hair as she sat in the space between his spread legs. The three of them looked up at Sasuke's arrival. "Okaeri," they greeted in unison.

Sasuke felt his brow twitch.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura patted the space in front of her excitedly in invitation.

_Not whipped_, his mind defaulted, because he wasn't whipped. Not here, especially with Shisui in the room to tease him about every little thing. But Sakura's lips spread into a warm smile that lit up her entire face, and he found himself making a sound that's caught somewhere between a groan and a sigh. Defenseless and defeated, whipped.

"Sasu-cakes! Go sit in front of Pancake!"

Sasuke furrowed his brows curiously. "Pancake?"

Shisui's mouth spread into a shit-eating grin that made Sasuke want to smack him. He raised his hands and gestured around his chest. Sasuke scowled at him.

"Nii-san," he drawled as he moved to sit before Sakura, who had already opened her legs for him−and not in the way he wanted her to, seeing as to how she had already laid out several colorful hair ties to use on him, "tell your dildo to stop talking."

* * *

**a/n**: sorry for the wait. things are about to get _fun_.

**postscript: to guest **_why the fuck_ would i need to put up an lgbt warning? here's your lgbt warning: i don't tolerate homophobes, please stop supporting me, i don't cater to people like you, happy pride.

if anyone else has something provocative to say please don't hide behind an anon, i'm encouraging a dialogue between us.


	10. ten

_**chapter t e n**_

"Did you two bone yet?"

Sakura spat out half of the flavored rum she was drinking, and choked on the other half. She doubled over and almost fell from the countertop where she was sitting. "Ki−ba!" she managed to croak out.

She lowered the bottle beside her before reaching over to the opposite end of the counter for some paper towels to wipe herself with. The exposed skin of her thighs were sticky with the alcohol and she grimaced at the icky feeling. She was already teary-eyed as the liquor burned a line down her throat nastily, but she still managed to glare at the man who was just finishing up under her sink.

After a few more creaks and squeaks, Kiba jumped to his feet and turned on the faucet to see if there would be a leak under the sink. When there wasn't, he turned to her with a proud grin on his face, which was quick to disappear when he saw the near-death look on her face. "Sakura!" he groaned exasperatedly. His shoulders fell forward as he dragged his feet towards her, then he leaned his elbows back on the counter next to her. "How long has it been, two weeks? This is just tiring and pathetic."

With a disappointed shake of his head, he picked up her bottle and brought it up to his own mouth, finishing the rest of her drink in one gulp. She swung her leg sideways to kick him but without much force. "It's not easy, you know," she grumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting as she felt her cheeks heat up at the thought of her boyfriend. And abstinence.

Uchiha Sasuke had been like a little brother to her for as long as she could remember, and she thought that would at least make it easier for her to abstain from jumping his bones every chance she got. But that's the funny thing about this whole 'attraction' business: one moment, she's totally unaware of him and the next, he's all she's ever known.

Every kiss they shared was wild and explosive, spiraling out of control from the moment their lips touched. There was too much want and too much need between them, and it made it harder to take things slow. She knew that half of his eagerness also stemmed from the fact that he was a teenage boy in the midst of his sexual awakening. But Sakura? What's her excuse? She was older and more experienced. She's had some boyfriends and some more casual hookups. Even so, the reactions Sasuke elicited from her body was totally unmatched.

She was almost sure it was bad for her health to be holding back this much.

"You look good, though," Kiba said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He tilted his head and looked at her thoughtfully, a small genuine smile she's never seen before playing on his lips.

She glared at him. "I have a boyfriend."

"No!" he said immediately. He almost looked affronted and she was almost offended−was she suddenly not appealing anymore now that she was in a relationship? Kiba sighed before continuing. "I mean, you look good. Happy. Better than when I picked you up at the bar that night."

He almost looked proud of her as he raised a fist and brushed a knuckle against her cheek, which made her smile. "You might not be over this Itachi character, but… you might be closer than you think."

Her heart stuttered a bit at the mention of his name, but it didn't hurt the way it used to. It was no longer a pain that shocked her entire body and caused her insides to grow cold and shut down. It was more like a dull ache now, just a momentary tight squeezing in her chest. And maybe she had time to thank for that, but maybe it was also a little bit of Sasuke. It still felt wrong, however, to think about it like that. That she was using Sasuke so she could get over his own big brother.

But she shook these thoughts out of her head as Kiba gathered his scattered tools and arranged them neatly in his toolbox, then cleaned himself up. She walked him to the door and thanked him profusely for his help while he waved her off. "Just because we're not fucking anymore, doesn't mean this friendship no longer has benefits!"

She slammed the door in his face.

Five minutes hadn't even passed when she found herself running out of her room because of a series of loud knocks on the front door. She threw it open, expecting to find Kiba grinning sheepishly because he left something behind again. But instead, she found her boyfriend, dressed in black from head to toe. She couldn't help but stop and stare−Sasuke really _owned _that color. But the moment immediately passed when he pushed past her, toeing his shoes off as he made a beeline for her living room.

"Um, hey, Sasuke-kun, good morning. Sure, come in. Make yourself at home, I guess…" she muttered under her breath as she closed the door behind her. He just rolled his eyes and picked up the remote control and started flipping through channels.

She plopped down on the couch while he remained standing, looking intently at the TV. She was in the middle of arranging the throw pillows to make herself more comfortable when he spoke up. "There's a good movie on right now," he said, prompting her to freeze. She looked up at him curiously as he found his movie and finally took a seat next to her.

"Did you…" Her lips spread into a wide smile as she felt a pleasant warmth spread from her chest and continued to turn into a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Were you watching a movie at your house and rushed all the way here to watch it with me?"

He scowled at her. "Shut up."

"You're too cute, Sasuke-kun," she teased as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Too cute."

She snuggled closer to him, leaning into his warmth. She barely paid attention to the movie that was already halfway through. So far it's been five minutes of just this man driving in his car, tearing up while having an internal monologue on love and loss. It's a good movie, and she probably would've liked it if she wasn't too transfixed on the boy next to her.

Uchiha Sasuke wasn't half as smooth as people have probably dreamt him to be. He was downright embarrassing a lot of times, but he made her heart stop all the same.

Just then, he raised an arm as if to stretch, before lowering it on the couch's backrest, almost draping over her shoulders. It was a cliche, really. How many boys had pulled this move on her? And yet, she couldn't fight the way her lips curled upward and the heat that rushed through her cheeks. Not to mention the way her heart hammered in her chest. It was absolutely ridiculous. She was a 23-year-old woman and yet she was reduced to a blushing high school girl whenever he so much as breathed in her direction. Gods, who was she when she's with him?

"I passed your fuck buddy on the stairs," he said casually, eyes still following the movie.

Surprised, she peered up at him and found that he wasn't particularly irritated by the fact that Kiba had been over, not even a little jealous. It made her feel a little proud of him, as he's always had quite a jealous and possessive disposition since he was a kid. "I needed help with plumbing," she shrugged.

Well _that _seemed to get him. His brows scrunched as his eyes finally left the screen to look down at her. "And why didn't you call _me_?"

Male pride, such a funny thing. She rolled her eyes, giggling lightly. "Sasuke-kun," she said sweetly, "you don't know anything about plumbing."

"Yeah, but… okay. I see your point." They settled into silence and resumed watching the movie for a whole ten seconds before he spoke up again. "He gave me something, though."

The only time she'd seen the two interact was when Sasuke punched Kiba on the jaw then Kiba knocked Sasuke out. She couldn't possibly imagine what her ex-fuck buddy-slash-new best friend could possibly give her boyfriend other than a black eye, which he didn't visibly have at the moment. He smirked when she only raised her brow curiously. Then he shifted a little and fished for something in his back pocket.

He tossed it onto her lap and she jumped in her seat. Her green eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she looked at the golden wrapper. Kiba, that piece of shit, had given him a condom in passing. "What is it?" he asks, innocently looking down at the condom.

Her eyes grew even bigger as she sputtered. "Are you fucking serious−"

"I'm kidding," he said, raising a fist to his mouth as he laughed, at her expense. But still ever so aware of her discomfort, he grabbed the cursed little square and tucked it back into his back pocket before pulling her back to him. But now she was all too aware of the fact that her boyfriend has a condom in his pocket, which made her mind race with scenarios where he actually got to use it on her.

_We're waiting_, she reminded herself. _Because it's the right thing to do. Waiting, waitingwaitingwaiting_. But four months seemed so far away and he was too close. And he could use his condom any time he wants with someone that's not her if he wanted to and−she wouldn't even blame him.

"Hey," she half-whispered. "Where's your head at right now?"

"I'm just watching my movie, Sakura." He leaned down to kiss her on the temple and murmured, "Relax."

With that, she finally let herself sag against him once again, settling down to watch the movie. When the credits rolled, Sasuke went to her kitchen to microwave popcorn and grab some chips−she had started stashing chips and snacks in her otherwise empty cupboards since he's been coming over more frequently−while Sakura ran to her room to snatch a warm blanket. She threw it over the two of them as another film started. When two more films ended, they got up from the couch and sat on the floor opposite each other as they played a game of Go.

"Stop taking it easy on me, Sasuke-kun," she said slyly.

He glared at her, because he wasn't taking it easy on her at all. The knitted brows, the clenched jaw, the way his eyes intently followed every move she made, and the way he cussed under his breath, while he tapped his fingers on his knee, these have always been telling signs of the Uchiha's frustration. When she won for the fifth time, he scattered the stones all over the floor and fell onto his back with a groan. A sore loser, as always.

"Hey!" she pinched his calf and he glared at her yet again. "You lost, you have to wash the dishes!" And currently, she had three days' worth of dirty dishes in the sink because it's been three days since her faucet started leaking. She smiled cheekily when he dragged himself to the kitchen and she heard the water running along with the clinking of the dishes. Doesn't she have the best boyfriend?

She jumped onto her feet and joined him in her kitchen, picking up a rag to dry the cleaned dishes with.

She bumped her hip against him strong enough that he stumbled a little to his right, and he splashed water into her face.

See? They could do it. They could be wholesome.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

When she was in high school, which felt unbelievably long ago now, she got a part-time job in an afterschool tutoring center where she taught grade school kids basic math and reading skills. She had gotten plenty of gifts on White Day from her students and even on regular days, they would sometimes pick flowers from people's front yards and give them to her. In return, she had given them all kisses on the crown of their heads and a playful tap to the tip of their noses. There might have been one or two kids who, with such straightforward confidence, told her they liked her and would someday ask for her hand in marriage. It had been adorable, totally harmless and truly innocent affection.

But high schoolers were different. For one, she'd had a student make out with her on the roof and he was now her boyfriend. And now she stood outside her prep room, where Abumi Zaku leaned against the door to block her access to her own office.

Class 3-D had a bad reputation throughout the entire school for being the unruly class full of good-for-nothing delinquents. Sakura didn't like to play into stereotypes; she liked to believe in her students and give them all a chance, to encourage them instead of placing negative labels on them. But when Zaku looked at her like that, when his gaze kept dropping from her face to other areas of her body, like he was already undressing her in his mind, she couldn't help but think of him in the negative.

"I'm sorry, but that's hardly appropriate, Abumi-kun." She plastered on a friendly, yet professional smile as she politely rejected his offer to take her out to dinner, even though her heart pounded with anxiety in her chest. There was something wrong, she could feel it. He smirked like he knew something she didn't.

"Hm, really?" He almost sounded disinterested, unfazed by her rejection, which made her even more uneasy. She hugged the textbook she was holding up to her chest, bracing herself for what came next. He met her eyes again, regarding her coolly. "But Dosu said you went out with Uchiha Sasuke."

Her breath caught in her throat. Dosu, who worked part-time at Ichiraku. It had been weeks since that day−she and Sasuke hadn't even been _together _then−and the rumors she had been nervously anticipating never came, so she believed it when Sasuke had said that it would never come out. And yet…

"Ne, sensei," he said, with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He took a step towards her and she took a step back. "How much did the Uchiha pay to do you, huh? I'll pay double−"

Sakura wanted to slap him. She had seen countless women do it in the movies and it always looked classy, elegant. But she wasn't classy, everyone in Suna and even the Uchiha brothers could attest to this. She didn't slap Zaku, she punched him. In the nose. And she watched as he stumbled backwards, cupping his hands over his bleeding nose. He sneered, opening his mouth as if to call her something filthy, but a booming voice cut him off. They both froze.

"HARUNO!"

Eyes wide, Sakura whipped around to find the principal standing just a few feet down the hall. Senju Tsunade's hazel eyes burned with absolute rage as she looked from the bleeding student's face to her newest teacher's tight fist. "My office." Her voice was loud and solid as she spoke. "Now!"

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

If there's one thing Sakura learned in high school, it's that principals are apex predators. They could smell fear. And when they smelled fear, they sensed guilt. So she sat with her back straight, her hands folded on her lap, schooling her features under Principal Senjuu's scrutiny.

She had explained her side of the story regarding the incident with Zaku and though Tsunade agreed that he had been disgustingly inappropriate, she should not have punched a student in the face. Either way, Abumi had been placed under probation and a month-long suspension for sexual harassment. With that out of the way, Sakura was in deeper trouble now that rumors that she'd gone out on a date with Uchiha Sasuke was swirling all around the campus.

Sakura had explained herself. She had told Tsunade everything about their relationship−minus, of course, their recent romantic relationship. She told her about Suna and the Uchihas' summer house, and their summers together, her close friendship with Itachi, and how she's grown to see Sasuke as her own little brother. Anything to assure the principal that there was nothing inappropriate or malicious going on between her and her student.

"Uchiha Sasuke is in the next room being interviewed by Vice Principal Morino," Tsunade sighed. She leaned back into her chair and rubbed her fingers to her temples in circular motions, before shooting the younger woman a sympathetic look. "I like you, Sakura. And I trust you. But we'll have to wait a bit to see if your stories match. Protocol."

Sakura nodded in understanding.

"Can I get you a drink while we wait?" the principal offered. "Coffee? Tea? Scotch? There's scotch in my third drawer." She grinned, reaching for the said drawer and placing the bottle onto her table along with two glasses.

Sakura's brows shot up in surprise but politely declined the offer. _And _I'm _the one on the stand for inappropriate behavior. _She thought of her colleagues whom she had grown to look up to. Senju Tsunade drank on campus and Hatake Kakashi openly read porn in the presence of his students. Huh. Living in the city was so weird.

It took seven more minutes until a knock came on the door−the principal quickly stashed away the scotch and the glass she had already filled for herself−and Morino Ibiki ushered Sasuke into the room. He nodded at her in greeting as he took a seat in the armchair next to her. To her surprise, Itachi followed close behind. She raised a brow at Tsunade questioningly, to which she just shrugged. "Legal guardian needs to be present for serious issues like this."

Itachi stepped forward, still in his suit, looking tired as ever. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Principal," he said, voice like smooth, rich scotch and Sakura tried not to be so affected by it. Especially not when her boyfriend was right there. "But Sakura is like family to us and she is as much Sasuke's guardian as I am at this point."

Tsunade gave him a tight smile. "That may be how you feel, Uchiha-san. But she is not Sasuke's _legal _guardian. We only care about our students' safety and wellbeing, and as long as Haruno-sensei has no legal right to your younger brother, we would ask for discretion between these two, no matter your history."

"We understand," Itachi said on behalf of the couple. The two of them shook hands and the older woman wished Sasuke the best in his studies, while Sakura was dismissed with a pointed look.

"Do you have a moment?" Itachi asked once the three of them made it out to the hallway.

Next to her, she felt Sasuke stiffen but she nodded. "Go back to class, Sasuke-kun," she said. She touched him on the arm, which should seem innocent enough to his older brother but she could only hope that he felt her reassurance as he walked away from them without another word, his face impassive. She bit her lip, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach as she steered Itachi in the opposite direction, walking him to the school's entrance.

"I'm sorry for putting you in that position."

"Oh, no, not at all!" she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I should be the one apologizing to you. You had to take off from work just to deal with this… silly misunderstanding!"

He shrugged. "Needed to get out of the office anyway," he chuckled deeply. Then he stopped in his steps, his hand circling her wrist loosely. Her breath hitched and she turned to look at him. "Thank you, Sakura. For being there for Sasuke." The soft sincerity in his eyes could easily turn her into a puddle, so she averted her gaze, clearing her throat. As if feeling her rapid heartbeat under his fingers, he dropped her hand and shoved his own into his pocket.

They continued down the stairs. "I'm swamped at work, I'm taking on case after case, and I don't even know what's going on in his life anymore." He breathed in sharply, shaking his head. "I admit I'm a little jealous that you two have gotten… considerably closer. He comes to you for anything. It's all Sakura, Sakura, Sakura now. Even when I'm home, it's _your _help he wants. But… I'm really glad. I'm glad that Sasuke has you… now that I can't be there for him."

"Itachi…" she said shakily, hesitantly. Her feet suddenly felt like lead and she stopped just three steps above him. He looked up at her expectantly.

This could be it. This could be the moment she came clean to him, that she could explain that Sasuke wasn't coming to her because he needed an older sibling to give him attention, but because she was seeing his younger brother.

But they had just gotten out of Tsunade's office, and he had just defended the two of them and assured Tsunade that there was absolutely nothing going on between her and her student. Then she remembered her conversation with Shisui and how Itachi had adamantly refused to entertain the feelings they mutually felt until they were in a position where they were equals.

She faltered. "I'll always have Sasuke's back."

It's the closest thing to _I will never hurt your little brother. I would sooner go blind than do anything to hurt him_ that she could muster.

When Itachi smiled at her, she pretended that it was his blessing.

* * *

**a/n**: i apologize for the wait but thank you for your patience as i'm currently working on this and another wip (Intoxicated), while also writing for the sasusaku month prompts, _and_ doing school work for the summer semester.


	11. eleven

_**chapter e lev en**_

Sasuke grinned as he read Sakura's text, in all caps and punctuated by three angry red emojis.

The school bell had rung about twenty minutes ago, but Sasuke and his friends remained on the roof. Hence why she was mad, practically yelling at him over text that she wouldn't be excusing any of them for skipping homeroom just because he was her boyfriend.

The last wave of acceptance letters had come in that morning and he found the letter from Oto University on the kitchen table first thing, along with his breakfast and a post-it note from his older brother. "Congratulations, otouto," it had read, even though the envelope was still unopened and, for all he knew, Sasuke could have been rejected.

His friends had received their letters earlier. Naruto and Suigetsu had gotten into Konoha University two weeks ago, and Karin got into Kusa three days ago. The moment she saw the corner of the envelope peeking from Sasuke's back pocket, she pulled the three boys out of class and into a dim corner of an empty stairwell.

He had officially been accepted into Oto University approximately twenty minutes ago. And for once, he didn't mind Naruto's heavy arm around his neck or Suigetsu's knuckles against his scalp or Karin's big wet kiss on both of his cheeks. And he didn't mind when he was dragged up to the roof for an impromptu celebration, only making a quick stop at the vending machine for bottles of ramune and phony cotton candy and popcorn.

It felt surreal. This was it, the moment they've been working towards all these years. And the boy he had been just a few years ago wouldn't have believed it if somebody told him that this was what the future held for him−friends that stuck with him through thick and thin, a successful brother and a chaotic but loving makeshift family, going out with the girl he's been crushing on since he was a prepubescent little brat, and the golden ticket to his dream university.

Sasuke was still reeling from it all, but the shock seemed to have worn off of his friends. Naruto was a few feet off the ground, clinging onto the chain link fence and Karin sat next to Sasuke, too close for comfort, and Suigetsu had crumpled his own acceptance letter into a ball and was tossing it into the air and catching it again, lying on the ground with one arm under his head. Sasuke was watching the paper ball's rise and fall when, after a particularly high toss, a breeze took it away. And the boy just kept staring straight ahead, pensive and uncharacteristically quiet.

The three, for some ungodly reason, had become somber.

After a while, he heard a thud as Naruto jumped down from his perch. He walked towards them and squatted down. "So this is it," he breathed out. His eyes were watery and his mouth trembled a little. "We made it! Even I can't believe it!" He sniffed loudly then, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

For once, Suigetsu had nothing snide to say. Neither did Sasuke. The blond continued. "I'm just really going to miss you guys," he said thickly, more tears spilling. Suigetsu clicked his tongue and reached into his pocket for a folded up handkerchief and tossed it to Naruto. "Not you, though. I'm kinda stuck with you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, snotface."

Then it struck Sasuke, as he watched Naruto force a smile on his face and try to joke through his teary eyes. He would be leaving for Oto, Karin for Kusa. They would be leaving everything behind. They would be away from their friends and their family, away from what's familiar, away from home. He swallowed nervously.

She extended her leg and nudged Naruto's shoe with hers. "It's not like Sasuke and I are never coming back," she said, trying to sound unconcerned. She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "We have to come home often to make sure you two don't burn the city down. We'll come back for holidays and vacations, and…"

Sasuke could read the look on Naruto's face even when he nodded in agreement. But it wouldn't be the same anymore, he seemed to want to say but didn't.

"We can video chat and stuff… And we can even meet halfway on some weekends…?"

Sasuke tried to ignore the way she now looked only at Suigetsu, to which he just shrugged. "Whatever you say, Four-Eyes," he sighed as if he was bored, but the Uchiha could tell that he was relieved.

Sasuke retreated into himself then, finally coming down from his high with a rude awakening. He had been looking forward to graduation, to finally being able to be with Sakura without having to hide, only to now realize that he was going away after the summer. And she would stay here, being one of the things he would have to leave behind.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

He found her as soon as class was dismissed, still in his PE clothes. He paused for a moment just as he reached the prep room, checking his surroundings for any onlookers. The incident with Dosu and Zaku had left the both of them rattled, Sakura just a tad bit more paranoid than him. Which, of course, he couldn't blame her for. It was her job that was at stake here, her reputation and her credibility.

When he was sure he wasn't being watched, he stepped into the room and quickly closed the door behind him, locking it. Sakura, seated at her couch with her laptop on her lap, jumped at the sudden intrusion. She gaped at him for a moment before she snapped her laptop shut and placed it on the empty spot next to her. She scowled up at him. "Don't you know how to knock?"

He just stared at her, caught off guard and distracted by the gray sweatshirt she was practically swimming in−was that his old sweatshirt? First, she'd gotten a hold of his house keys with neither him nor Itachi knowing how and now she was wearing something from his closet.

"Where were you this morning?" she admonished. "Skipping class? That's very unlike you, Sasuke-kun. I expected more from you−"

He cut her off by pulling the acceptance letter out of his pocket, folded up and wrinkled. She looked down at the piece of paper warily before snatching it out of his hand. He watched as her green eyes widened, looking at the paper then him and back again. "Oh my god," she gasped. She jumped up to her feet and flung her arms around his neck, an embrace he returned in kind, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed in, breathing in the smell of her shampoo and his laundry detergent on the sweatshirt she wore and just the natural sweetness of her skin. He chuckled as she ran her mouth, squealing with excitement, telling him how exciting this all was and how proud she was of him.

I love you, he couldn't help but think. His arms tightened around her waist. He couldn't help but think about the conversation they'd had at the roof that morning.

"What happens to us now?" he murmured against the skin of her neck. He hated how lost he sounded.

Her words abruptly came to a halt. Pausing, she pushed him away a little, just enough to meet his eyes. She cupped his cheek as she looked up at him with worried eyes and he leaned into her touch reflexively. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm going to Oto after the summer, and you're staying here."

There was a pregnant pause, before her eyes softened as she looked up at him. Her hands slid from his cheeks down to his shoulders, and she pushed herself up to press her lips softly against his. "You don't have to worry about me, Sasuke-kun," she said softly. "And you don't have to worry about this right now−or ever. We… still have a lot of time to figure this out… to make this work…"

The smile she gave him didn't placate him. He wasn't the one she loved, he wasn't the one she had spent years waiting for, pining after. Sasuke was, for all he knew, a mere placeholder. He didn't know how long she was planning on settling for second best.

But Sakura had given him a chance. She was with him, wasn't she? He was the one she referred to as her boyfriend, the one who got to hear about her day or whatever weighed on her mind, the one who got to kiss her and hold her, even if they had to do it all in secret. And that was already more than he had ever dreamed of, more than he ever thought possible, more than he could ask for.

He pursed his lips in thought. "Fine. But I want a reward for this."

He could feel her breath hitch, and he smirked when he recognized the change in her eyes. He couldn't help but chuckle. He raised his hand and flicked her in the forehead. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Haruno-sensei," he teased and she frowned indignantly. "I just want you to take me to Suna. Tonight."

"Tonight?!" Her jaw dropped. He could make an entire PowerPoint presentation on why she shouldn't say no to his proposition, and that's practically how the rest of their lunch break went. Sakura sat back down on her lumpy couch while Sasuke listed the pros and cons of the trip. Some of the pros being: the three-day weekend was coming up, he'd worked hard and deserved a vacation, she was homesick, and he hasn't been out of the city since his parents died−and he made sure to emphasize that his parents died as an emotional appeal (pathos, as he had learned from Hatake-sensei). And the cons? Well, he had none.

Sakura looked torn by the time he finished, a little unsure and a little amused. He knitted his brows together and jutted out his lower lip in a pout, which had her rolling her eyes and shaking her head with mirth. "Fine," she said, feigning reluctance. He reached out his hand to seal the deal, which she graciously took before yanking him down for a kiss. By the time lunch break came to an end, he had her breathless, on her back, her red lipstick smeared messily across her mouth.

Before he left, she pointedly added, "Ask Itachi for permission first!"

And so he did, on the drive home from the Korean barbecue restaurant Shisui had treated them to for Sasuke's celebratory dinner. He sank lower in the passenger seat and patted his stomach, filled to the brim with grilled meat that never seemed to stop coming. He stared straight ahead as he popped the question. "Can I go to Suna with Sakura? We're leaving tonight."

"Tonight?!" There was a lurch as Itachi's foot bore down on the pedal in surprise. He tore his gaze off the road for a second to look at his little brother in surprise. The both of them hadn't been to Suna in years and Sasuke never showed any desire to go back prior to now. He could see why Itachi would be caught off guard. "What brought this on?"

He shrugged. Maybe it was the incident with Zaku and the principal, or maybe it was his impending departure, or maybe he was just truly selfish and impatient and he wanted to be with his girlfriend without having to worry that they'd get caught. "I just haven't been out of the city in forever," he said instead. "And the three-day weekend's coming up. The timing's right."

Itachi furrowed his brows deeply in contemplation, so much so that a frown had formed on his mouth. "And Sakura's fine with this?"

"I mean, she's probably homesick by now, so…"

"I don't know, Sasuke," he breathed out heavily. He shook his head slightly. "Going out of town with your teacher… seems inappropriate."

"Inappropriate." He practically spat the word out. "It's Sakura! She's our friend. She's practically like… an older sister to me. Being my teacher doesn't change that!" The word sister left a nasty taste in his mouth and he shifted in his seat so that he was facing out the window, hiding the grimace that formed on his face. He would never look at any sister the way he looked at Sakura.

"Yes, Sakura is like family to us," Itachi continued slowly, "but being your teacher does change things. What if the school finds out? She already got in trouble because of how suspiciously close you two are. She'll lose her job, otouto."

"If she was worried about that, she would've shot down the idea the moment I said it."

And they went on like that for the rest of the drive, arguing, both exasperated with each other. By the time they pulled into their driveway, they were shouting; Sasuke, like a brat whining for what he wanted, and Itachi, rational and composed, voice loud and steeled with resolve. He turned the key in the ignition and killed the engine, ending their argument in the process.

After a long moment of silence, Sasuke called out to him, almost pleading. Itachi turned to look at him and grimaced at what he saw. For the second time that day, Sasuke was winning his way through an argument with a pout. "This is the only thing I've ever asked for," he added for good measure.

His brother stared at him for a long moment, before he averted his gaze, shook his head, and exhaled heavily through his nose. He unbuckled his seatbelt, still shaking his head to himself. "You're a fucking piece of shit, Sasuke," he said, defeated. "A fucking piece of shit."

"That's not very nice, nii-san." He smirked in victory. "You've been spending way too much time with Shisui."

Itachi only rolled his eyes. "You'll be back on Monday. Before dark."

Sasuke nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"You won't give Sakura a hard time."

"I won't."

"You'll call me every night."

"... okay."

"Clean up the beach house."

"I will."

With a final exasperated sigh from his brother, Sasuke was free to go. He bolted out of the car and stumbled gracelessly into their house and ran up the stairs taking two steps at a time. He grabbed a backpack and began rummaging through his closet, throwing shirts and sweaters and pants to choose from onto the bed. He only paused to wonder what type of weather he should be packing for, having never been to Suna outside of the summer. But autumn there couldn't possibly be any different from the one he's accustomed to here.

He glimpsed at the clock as he finished packing. Just another hour and Sakura would be there to pick him up. He zipped up his bag and threw it to the foot of his bed. He remembered nights like these when he was a kid. Packing up for Suna, asking his father which toys he could bring, and being reminded by his mother not to forget his toiletries. Those nights, he would spend wide awake, too excited to go to sleep. He'd sleep in the morning, curled up against Itachi in the back of their SUV.

Just as he threw himself onto the bed, Itachi came into his room. He looked around, lips pursed and hands in his pants, something akin to sadness in his eyes. Finally, his gaze settled on the backpack at the foot of the bed. His brows furrowed slightly, as if thinking, next time it wouldn't be just a backpack.

"Don't start crying on me now, aniki."

Itachi chuckled. "It's just hard to imagine that in a couple of months, you wouldn't be here anymore."

"You make it sound like I'm about to die."

Sasuke didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about being away from his friends, from his family…

As happy as he was that he got into Oto University, he realized that he wasn't quite ready to be away from home for that long. But he wasn't about to tell anyone that. "Do you regret not going to Oto?" he asked instead.

He felt a dip in his mattress as Itachi sat on the edge of his bed, picking up Sasuke's backpack and checking its contents. "I don't," he said truthfully. "I wouldn't have met Shisui in Oto. Plus, I got to spend more time with you. That's what otou-san and okaa-san would have wanted." He smiled then. "They're proud of you, Sasuke. I'm sure you know that."

Sasuke felt a tug in his chest at the mention of their parents. That morning, when he'd torn open the envelope at the stairs with his friends, he had imagined what it would've been like if his parents had been around for it. He thought that it would have been in the kitchen during breakfast. Mikoto would've had her hands clasped together as Sasuke ripped the envelope, then she would have engulfed him in a suffocating hug, peppering his face with kisses while he whined at all the coddling. And Fugaku would be pretending to be preoccupied with the morning paper he's reading but discreetly sneaking glances at his son from the corner of his eye. He would give a tight smile, as always, but there would be pride in his shoulders and satisfaction in the way he expelled a sigh.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. "Maybe… we could go see them when I get back."

Itachi looked at him thoughtfully, a little surprised. "I'd like that."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

From the very moment they passed Konoha's boundary, Sasuke felt a tug and slight squeezing in his chest, something he soon realized was nostalgia. Everything felt familiar, but they were all different, especially because everything was under the cover of the dark. The long, winding road at the side of the mountain gave him the same adrenaline rush it did when he was a kid, but where he used to see lush green everywhere, now they were browning with decay. There was something about the night that made it all more exciting, like anything was possible.

The gas station stops he had once spent pestering his mother to let him sit in the front, he now spent kissing his girlfriend. Where he usually dozed off on the second half of the trip, he now sat behind the wheel, fingers loosely laced with Sakura's as she napped with her head against the window.

He remembered being a little boy with his toy dinosaur, bouncing in the backseat of their family's SUV. He remembered his mother smearing sunscreen lotion on his nose and Fugaku's eyes through the rearview mirror, checking on him every few minutes. He would stick his head out of the window the moment his father rolled them down and Itachi would hold onto the back of his shirt to keep him from going farther. Now he drove with the wind in his hair.

Sakura was awake by the time they entered the city limit. The smile on her face grew wider as they got far enough that the road gradually turned into unpaved ground. He could smell the ocean, could even almost taste the salt on his lips. But where he was expecting the sun and the crisp sweetness of watermelon, he could smell the cold autumn air and warm sweets.

He braced himself as he began seeing houses. And soon enough, from a mile away, he spotted his family's summer house. It was quite hard to miss, being the only house on the street that had a pagoda roof, the only house with a traditional architecture amidst these modern bungalows and apartment buildings. He found himself marvelling at the architecture, something he paid no mind when he was a kid because he had been too focused on the smaller house next to it, where their pink-haired playmate lived.

Sakura turned off the engine and the two of them sat in complete silence for a moment. His stare remained on his family's beach house but he could feel her watching him. She reached out and touched him on the shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Sasuke was nervous, he couldn't deny that. There were too many memories here, all of them good but that's what made them all the more painful. He was absolutely terrified to be here. And yet, it felt like a homecoming. He felt ready. "It's good to be back," he said simply. She smiled at him softly and rubbed his cheek comfortingly. He leaned in for one last peck at her lips before hopping out of the Jeep.

It was nearly 4a.m. when they arrived and yet, as they were picking up their things in the back, Sasuke with his beat-up backpack and Sakura with a duffel bag that was bigger than her but didn't seem to weigh her down one bit, the front door of her home burst open and out came a massive figure crying out her name. It took Sasuke a couple of seconds to realize that it was Kizashi.

Sakura's duffel bag dropped to the ground as her small figure was engulfed in her father's big arms. "Papa!" she cried out in surprise. "Tadaima! Mou, you really shouldn't have waited for us…"

Sasuke found himself looking away, feeling like an intruder to their father-daughter moment. He couldn't remember ever being this openly affectionate with either of his parents. But the next thing he knew, he was the one being pulled into a crushing hug. Eyes wide and panicked, he looked to Sakura over her dad's shoulder and found her smiling apologetically. He felt sore by the time Kizashi let him go.

"Man!" Kizashi exclaimed, holding Sasuke by the shoulder and looking him up and down. "You've gotten so big!" he said almost tearfully. He raised his hand, palm facing down, as if measuring the boy's height.

Haruno Kizashi had once been a giant in Sasuke's eyes and even now that he was eighteen and nearing six feet, the man wasn't any less intimidating in build. But he was older now, with his once rosy hair graying at the roots.

Sasuke braced himself as he looked to be ready to go in for another hug. Fortunately, a much smaller figure emerged from the house. Haruno Mebuki stepped between the two of them, planting her palm on her husband's chest to keep him away. As he sulked back to his daughter, she turned back to Sasuke. The wrinkles that lined her face as she frowned smoothened when she looked at him. "Sasuke-chan, how are you?" she asked, holding his face in her hands. She squished his cheeks a little.

He remembered her from his childhood as someone who had a very strong personality. She scared the living shit out of him as a kid, being the only person, next to his mother, who could scold Uchiha Fugaku like a child. She spoke loudly and callously, and yet she could be surprisingly kind and gentle. He could definitely see where Sakura got it all from, only she was a little softer around the edges. And that was probably from her dad, who was a big softie compared to his wife.

It was overwhelming, seeing them so… old. It made him wonder what his parents would have looked like now.

"Come on," she said, and patted his cheek not-so-gently. "You two must be tired. And hungry."

Sakura picked up her duffel bag and, once her parents' backs were turned, she reached for Sasuke's hand.

The Haruno house was as cozy as he remembered. Kizashi took their bags as they entered and Mebuki led them straight to the dining area, where Sasuke was surprised to find that a big pot of shabu-shabu awaited them this early in the morning. Sakura squealed with excitement and dove right under the warmth of the kotatsu. Apparently, she hadn't eaten dinner before they left Konoha.

They got started with their meal when Kizashi rejoined them. The married couple were gracious enough to give them time to fill their stomachs before launching into conversation. Sakura and Mebuki bickered endlessly, Kizashi joked around and got snapped at by both his wife and daughter, and Sasuke sat in quiet amusement as he finished his meal. But of course, they never left him out. Mebuki piled food into his bowl and Kizashi asked him questions and Sakura asked him to back her up when she's proving a point to her mom.

"Anyhow, my useless daughter here−" the older woman said, pointing her chopsticks at Sakura, "didn't tell us you were coming with, so we haven't prepared the guest room yet. You can stay in her room for tonight if you don't mind her loud snoring."

"Mou, I don't snore…"

Sasuke swallowed his food quickly to respond. "It's fine, Mebuki-san. I'm planning on staying in the beach house."

They fell quiet at that. Under the table, Sakura placed her hand over his and gave him a light squeeze. Her mother's face softened and her father nodded in understanding, giving him a soft smile.

"We'll help you clean up then," Kizashi said, reaching over to give him a pat on the shoulder, surprisingly gentle for such a big hand.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sasuke found their stuff again on the floor in Sakura's bedroom. He looked around the room while Sakura jumped into her bed, mewling like a cat as she felt her sheets and smelled her pillows. When they were kids, he and Itachi used to sleep over. The three of them used to fit in the bed but now he doubted it could even fit him and Sakura alone.

He moved around the room with watchful eyes. There was a cork board above her study-slash-vanity table, littered with notes and pictures. Among pictures of her and her friends, there was a polaroid of the three of them at the very corner. She was carrying him on her back while Itachi held his little shoes in one hand. He didn't remember taking this picture, didn't even remember that day.

"Sorry," she said, voice muffled, just as he moved to her closet. "My parents are too much sometimes."

He just shrugged, continuing to sift through her clothes. "What are you even looking for?" she answered, voice much clearer now. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to see that she was now sitting up in her bed.

"Your old high school uniform," he answered blankly and without pause.

Almost immediately, he felt a pillow hit the back of his head hard. "Sasuke-kun, you perv!"

He picked up the pillow from where it fell to the floor and moved away from the open closet to join her in the bed. He plopped down onto the mattress and angled himself so that he was resting his head on her lap, his legs still hanging off the bed and his feet still flat on the floor. There was really no way this bed could fit more than one person.

She began threading her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp in the process. He exhaled pleasantly. "Thank you for agreeing to this," he said. She paused in her ministrations to cup his face before leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. He reached up to hold her by the nape of her neck and angled his face to kiss her on the mouth when−

They jumped as they heard a sudden piercing, shrill shrieking. Sakura practically threw him away and he immediately reached for the pillow she had thrown at him earlier, as if to cover himself with it. This is it, he thought for a second. We're done for.

But instead of a fearsome Mebuki, standing in the doorway was a girl that he recognized all too well from his childhood and from the pictures that littered Sakura's desk. Upon realizing who she was, Sakura was on her feet shrieking, as well, as they ran towards each other with open arms. The shrieking eventually died down until they were both squealing, squeezing each other in a tight hug. And Sasuke sat there, awkwardly holding his pillow and still recovering from all the noise.

"I missed you so much, Ino-Pig!"

"I missed you more, Forehead!"

"Wait−" Sakura pulled away and held the other girl by the shoulders. "How did you know I'm back?"

She rolled her blue eyes and flipped her ponytail dramatically. "Suna smelled awful all of a sudden."

Sakura punched her playfully and Ino punched her back just as hard, and Sasuke began thinking that friendships between girls weren't all that different from his violent friendship with Naruto. And somehow, it was unnerving to think about.

"But it's so early!"

Yeah, too early for this.

"I was out on a jog," Ino explained. "Then I saw this hideous Jeep parked outside and I remembered that you mentioned you bought a Jeep!"

They continued hitting and insulting each other until Ino's gaze flitted over to him momentarily and she stopped. Then her lips turned up into a saccharine smile that made him sick.

"So, this is the boyfriend." Her eyes remained on him as she spoke to Sakura. Then she continued to mutter quickly under her breath, as if she didn't intend for him to hear what she was saying but he could hear it all the same. "I knew it. I knew he would grow up to be damn fine, I told you. Didn't I tell you? God, he's fine. I hate you."

Sakura slapped her arm. "Stop sexualizing my boyfriend!" she hissed, which only made Ino turn a knowing grin at her.

"Hmph. You're just annoyed that you haven't gotten to sexualize him yet, if you know what I−ow!"

"Ino!"

She took a step back before Sakura could land another hit on her. She rubbed the sore spot on her arm and pouted at the other girl. "But really," she said, turning to Sasuke. "It's good to see you again. God, look at you−time goes by so fast, doesn't it?"

"And," she continued, now looking at Sakura. "It's good to see you together."

From where he sat on the bed, with her back turned to him, he could still see his girlfriend's ears redden at the comment.

"Anyway!" Ino clapped her hands together. "I'm gonna make this quick 'cause I know I interrupted something there−" she gestured wildly at the bed, reminding the couple of the position they were in before they were interrupted in the worst way possible. She squeaked, moving away yet again as Sakura attempted to slap her. She continued anyway, "We were already planning to hang out at Shika's tonight. Thought I'd let you know since you're home, and… you can introduce Sasuke-kun to everyone. As, you know, your boyfriend."

Sakura looked over her shoulder at Sasuke, and the way she looked so unsure made him curious. He had thought that she would jump at any opportunity to see her friends again upon coming home, but here she was, biting her lip hesitantly. He frowned slightly. He was only realizing now that he didn't really know who her friends were, aside from Ino. He didn't really know who she was outside of the girl he remembered from his childhood and the woman he was with now.

He thought of Kiba and the strange friendship she had forged with him. Then he looked at Ino, who seemed sly and provocative. The type of people he didn't really think Haruno Sakura would associate herself with.

She looked about to decline but before she could say anything, Sasuke spoke up. "Sure."

The horrified look on Sakura's face as she whipped back to look at him and Ino's triumphant smirk made him swallow nervously. Hanging out with Sakura and her friends, what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

**a/n**: aaaa i know it's been a long time but guess what? i just finished my application to the university i'm transferring to! i really hope i get in because this university is my first and only choice because i'm a stubborn one-track-mind-having kind of dumbass who doesn't have a back-up plan! congrats to ssk though i guess…


	12. twelve

_**chapter tw elv e****  
**_

The sun was well up in the sky once they finished cleaning his family's house. Sakura's parents had gone back to their own house half an hour ago, leaving her behind to make sure that Sasuke was settled in and okay. Kizashi had given them both a hug and Mebuki had given them both goodnight/morning kisses, which seemed to startle the young Uchiha. The surprised look on his face would've made Sakura laugh it wasn't so… sad. He hasn't felt these small displays of parental affection for years now.

Now, the couple sat on the newly-polished engawa, facing the ocean beyond the backyard's low fence. At 7a.m., the rolling waves were clear and blue, sparkling with soft early morning sunlight, the moon nothing but a frosty imprint in the sky. Sakura was nestled between his legs, a blanket wrapped around the two of them as she cradled a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her cold hands. She leaned back further against his chest and rested her head against his shoulder. She felt his arm tighten around her, his nose in her hair.

She sighed in contentment. This felt nice, simple. She listened to the relentless waves, the gentle breeze, Sasuke's steady breathing, and the calm quiet of the empty house. She hasn't felt this light and relaxed in so long. It felt good to be so close to him without worrying about getting caught. But just before she felt herself getting lulled into sleep, a thought struck her.

She was home. She was in the place where she could simply be. And it was only starting to occur to her that Sasuke didn't really know her. Just like how there was a gap between the little boy she watched drive away from here and the young man who boldly confessed his feelings to her, there was a disconnect between the awkward high school girl he last saw and the woman that she was now. She had gone through dramatic teenage phases and periods of wild experimentation and self-searching, and she grew from these experiences. She had changed. She was different.

She knew that he had some ideal version of her in that pretty head of his and she worried that she would fail to live up to her. Not to mention that he was meeting her friends later that day. Only God knows what those fools were up to. She had tried to refuse Ino's invitation but for some reason, her boyfriend had spoken for the both of them and said yes without even thinking about it, to her utter mortification.

What was the saying? Something about how your choice of friends reflect who you really are as a person. Right. Utterly mortified.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

It was weird. The last time they had walked these streets together, his head barely reached her shoulder and she could easily pick him up and carry him on her back. Now, Sasuke towered over her and his hand covered hers as he held it. She loved where they were at now, but she couldn't help but feel nostalgic and miss how little he had been. She remembered, for one summer, he had even lost his tooth. He wore the brightest smile in that time.

"You're making a face," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and found him frowning at her. Sheepishly, she explained, "I was just thinking about how cute you were when you were smaller." To which his judgemental expression slowly morphed into mortification, his face close to a grimace. She only grinned widely as she touched upon another memory. "Ne, ne, remember when I used to beg you to call me onee-chan?"

He paused in his steps, frown deepening. "Do you really want me to call you that now?"

She nodded eagerly, green eyes wide with anticipation. But he only smirked and raised a hand to flick her painfully on the forehead. "You're dirty," he teased, before walking ahead.

She felt her entire face heat up at the insinuation. "Hey! That is so not what I was going for!"

Sakura huffed before picking up her feet. She had to jog to catch up to him−damn his long legs. But he stopped in his tracks, so abruptly that she bumped into his arm. She was about to ask him what his problem was when she realized that they were standing in front of the public library.

He stared at the building before them for a long moment before turning his head to the other side, across the street. It was the little convenience store they went to frequently.

This had been where most of their eventful summer days began. Itachi, being the huge nerd that he was, always needed to go to the library to pick up a book for something to do in their downtimes. Sasuke and Sakura would always wait for him by the store, not because they didn't like reading, but because they were too loud when they were together and Itachi was embarrassed to have them with him in such a quiet setting. So the two of them would buy snacks from Chiyo-baachan's store and sit on the crates outside, waiting for the older Uchiha.

Then they would move on to the real fun. On particularly hot days, they would go to the ocean for a swim. Or they would go to the other side of the island where Tenzo-san tended to his rice paddies. On some days, he would take the three of them to the barn and have them help out with the animals−more often than not, they ended up just playing around. And for some reason, Itachi particularly liked the chickens.

Sakura nudged Sasuke with her elbow. She cocked her head to the side, pointing to the store. "Do you wanna share a popsicle?"

She half-expected him to reject the idea. The two of them were already wearing three layers of clothes. This certainly wasn't the weather for a popsicle. But instead, he lowered his face into the high collar of his thermal jacket and shyly tugged at her hand. The gesture, along with the reddening tips of her ears, made her laugh loudly.

Uchiha Sasuke might not be as small as he used to be, but he was still the same baby.

They entered the store and she walked straight to the back where the freezer was, while he looked around the shelves and walked down the small aisles. She knew that not much has really changed in this place, in all of Suna, as a matter of fact. She wondered if he thought of it as a good thing or a bad thing.

She grabbed a melon-flavored popsicle, paid for it at the cash register, and exited the store to wait for him by the crates. He followed her out not long after and took a seat next to her.

"The… lady is different…" he said, before shoving the tip of his popsicle into his mouth. He visibly shivered from the cold.

Sakura hummed thoughtfully, giving her popsicle a lick before responding. "Chiyo-baachan passed away, maybe like… three years ago?"

He nodded solemnly and said nothing. She moved closer to him for warmth. She linked her arm with his and slid her hand down to fit her fingers in the spaces between his, and gave him a comforting squeeze. The old woman had been particularly fond of Sasuke, pinching his cheeks and giving him a free konpeito every time they came around. Sakura only imagined that he had been fond of her, too.

"Is everything what you expected it to be?" she asked, twirling the now empty and slightly damp popsicle stick in her fingers.

He looked straight ahead at the library across from them, almost pensively. "I don't know what I expected."

She looked at him curiously for a moment before they settled into a comfortable silence. She clutched his hand tighter in an attempt to keep warm. His hand was so much warmer compared to her frozen fingers. As if taking pity on her, he began rubbing her hand with his thumbs. She hummed pleasantly.

"How do you manage to be so far away from home?" he asked quietly.

She turned to look at him, a little surprised by the question. Then she realized exactly what it was that troubled him.

Sakura had moved out of Suna twice in her young life. The first time was when she left for university. She had been ecstatic then, excited to be out of the countryside, to be living on her own for the first time. The second was just this year, when she decided to pursue a teaching career in Konoha. This time was significantly harder than the first, more terrifying. She was going out into the world as a full-fledged adult, an independent woman, in a big city where she didn't know anyone but two boys she hadn't even been sure remembered her. She had never felt so small, so unsure of herself.

She reached into her back pocket and fished out her phone, then waved it in the air in front of him. "It's like home in my pocket," she said. "I keep in touch with everyone. I still tell my best friend everything. I call my parents when I miss them, or when I need help figuring stuff out in my apartment." She sniffed; whether it was from the cold or her sentimentality, she wasn't sure. "I do get homesick, but… I'm not lonely. I have you guys! I… have you…"

"You'll be okay!" She clapped her hands over his cheeks. He complained about her cold hands but she only tightened her hold on his face, squishing his cheeks further. "I'll call you every night," she promised, "and I'll come over when I can−what's a few hours' drive, right?"

Sasuke looked at her with something akin to surprise, her dark eyes weighing on her. Then she froze, realizing what she'd said. Her fingers folded into fists and she slowly lowered her hands to her lap, before pushing them into her sweatshirt's pocket for warmth. She kept her eyes on her feet.

This was the first time she's addressed what would happen to them when he moved out. But it wasn't a conversation she was ready to have yet, not when she still wasn't certain what this was.

"And I'm sure Itachi and Shisui will, too," she added quickly, chuckling nervously. "I don't think your brother can last three days away from you−I can't even imagine how you talked him into letting you come here."

She peered at him nervously to gauge his reaction to her backtracking, but the look on his face was unreadable. Then a corner of his mouth tilted upwards, though his eyes remained mirthless. He pulled her hand out of her pocket and pulled her up to her feet. "Where should we go next?" he asked, stuffing their clasped hands into the pocket of his own jacket. "You didn't tell me that it would be too cold to do anything this time of the year."

She breathed in deeply and blinked a couple of times to clear her head. "We could stop by my parents' shop," she offered.

Without further discussion, they began walking in the direction of her parents' little teahouse. Sakura's mouth practically began to water as she thought about the sweets that her parents had in store. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to get the anmitsu or a strawberry daifuku. But a warm taiyaki sounded good right now, too. Sasuke winced as he listened to her debate with herself. He hated sweets. He just wanted to get a cup of tea, especially after his insides had been frozen by the popsicle they just shared.

They tried for a lighthearted conversation but she couldn't bring herself to end their talk there, leaving him more anxious about his future than before. "Sasuke-kun," she said with a change in her tone. He turned to look at her, eyes patient as he waited for her to speak. Always patient. She squeezed his hand and pulled him to a halt, before raising herself on the tips of her toes to touch her lips to his. It's the warmest she's felt the entire morning. "You will be okay."

He squeezed her hand in return. "Aa."

In the end, Sakura ended up getting two orders of strawberry shortcake, one of Kizashi's many specialties. Her eyes closed as she moaned gloriously as the soft texture melted on her tongue and the rich, sweet flavor exploded in her mouth. Last night, she realized how much she missed her mother's cooking. But it was only now that she realized how much she missed her father's baking. It was like her entire childhood, in her belly.

"This is so good," she said, almost tearfully. She looked up at Sasuke, who stood over her with a white apron tied around his waist, holding a tray with her tea on it.

He looked down at her blankly. "This is free labor, isn't it," he said flatly. She nibbled on her fork and peered up at him shyly.

Sasuke was Hana Teahouse & Bakery's barista for the day.

Saturdays were always busy for the Harunos and the place had been buzzing when the couple arrived. Mebuki was balancing trays on her arms and nearly bending over backwards to serve the customers, so Sasuke grabbed two of the serving trays from her while Sakura manned the cash register and took orders. But in a town as small as Suna, news that there was a handsome new barista at the shop spread quickly, and their patrons doubled.

Sakura sighed in defeat. She swore she was going to have a talk with her mother about this−she's sure there were laws against what she had just put her student through. But for now, she settled with, "I'll give you extra credit on the final."

He stared at her for a moment longer. Then he yanked the fork out of her hand and scooped up a big chunk of the shortcake, so big that her face was smeared with whipped cream when he shoved it into her mouth. "Hurry up and finish eating so I can take my break."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

And here came the part that she had been dreading−but also the part that, in the back of her mind, she'd been looking forward to.

Just before Sakura and Sasuke left home, Mebuki had warned her not to be a bad influence on the young Uchiha. He had looked at her curiously then and she avoided looking at him at all. "We're not going to do anything, kaa-san," she insisted, exasperated.

This prompted Kizashi to bark with laughter, such laughter that he had to wipe tears at the corners of his eyes. He clapped her on the shoulder. "With your friends? Not gonna do anything, my ass!" Then he turned to Sasuke. "Stay in moderation," he had said in all seriousness, which only confused the boy all the more.

Sasuke was thrumming with curiosity now, she could feel it, as they stood outside of Shikamaru's apartment door. She raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. She quickly turned to Sasuke instead, holding him by the shoulders. "I have to warn you," she started slowly. "My friends are crazy and annoying."

"Have you seen my friends?"

"You're right." She let go of him and faced the door with uncertainty once again. And in a small voice, she added, "Listen, these guys are… well, they might offer you some things. Don't feel like you have to take them. Don't feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing, okay?"

His brows shot up slightly and she knew that she was only egging his curiosity on. But she just didn't quite feel that he was prepared to mingle with the kind of people she did. "Are you giving me a lecture about peer pressure right now, sen-sei?"

The title made her cheeks hot. She opened her mouth to retort but he had already raised his hand and knocked on the door, making her eyes widen in alarm. Not even a second later, the door swung open and Ino clasped her hands together happily, announcing their arrival to everyone else in the house. She kissed Sasuke on the cheek in greeting before pulling Sakura into a tight hug.

"Gee, keep it down, woman. You're gonna alarm the neighbors."

Nara Shikamaru emerged through the bead curtain that led out to the engawa. She reached around Ino and bumped fists with the woman she held captive. Chouji followed soon after and tried to give Sakura a hug, as well, but the needy blonde blocked him protectively, so he settled with a simple hello. Temari, however, seemed to have already had her eyes set on the newcomer standing closest to the door.

Ino rested her chin on Sakura's shoulder and she wrapped her arms around the pinkette's waist, hugging her from behind. Sasuke's temple twitched in response, as though irritated that she was snaked around his girlfriend. Smiling sheepishly at him, Sakura began her introductions.

Next to her was Shikamaru, the gracious host for the night. He was quite possibly the smartest yet laziest person she knew. Next to him was her girlfriend Temari, a year older than all of them and one of the most badass women she's ever had the pleasure of meeting and befriending. Then there was Chouji, Shikamaru's partner in crime. He was the best of them, friend-shaped like a capybara.

Finally, she squirmed out of Ino's embrace and sidled up next to Sasuke, linking their arms and pressing herself against him. "This is Uchiha Sasuke," she said. She was mildly surprised by how proud she sounded and how excited she was to introduce him to her friends as "−my boyfriend."

Ino squealed and Temari's brow arched elegantly. Shikamaru stepped forward and shook Sasuke's hand before clapping him on the shoulder.

They pulled the couple into the apartment, getting tangled in the bead curtain in the process. The boys whisked Sasuke into the kitchen for a drink−"Knowing these girls," she heard Chouji say as they went, "they're gonna need a minute or ten to themselves to scream about things."

Sasuke didn't resist their pull but he looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes, as if to ask for permission. Sakura gave him a thumbs up just as she herself was dragged into the living room and pushed down onto the couch. She raised her brow at the ensemble before her. Tonight's paraphernalia was neatly arranged on the low coffee table; a grinder, a lighter, and two now-empty cigar wrappers−the weed must still be with Shikamaru.

She looked up and found his girlfriend pinning her with a look. "What?" Sakura asked.

Temari rolled her eyes, grin widening. "Come on, there's always a catch with you." She raised her hands and began counting off on her fingers. "Hidan was a gangster, Sasori was obsessed with puppets, Deidara was an arsonist−and looked way too much like Yamanaka−and Lee… is Lee…"

Sakura pouted. She thought Lee was the biggest sweetheart out of all the guys she dated in the past. Ino sat down next to her and crossed her legs, and she winced. The blonde always did that when she knew something good was coming. Sakura exhaled heavily and rolled her eyes. She kept her eyes to the ceiling to avoid looking at her two girlfriends. "He's my student," she murmured.

Temari looked at her incredulously, her mouth wide open in disbelief and awe. She looked at Ino once as if for confirmation before punching Sakura in the shoulder and falling onto the couch next to her. "You bitch," she hissed. "You bad bitch!"

She groaned in response, but couldn't quite fight the smile on her lips. "Stop, I'm not very proud of that aspect."

They all started to hit and slap each other, until the two of them began leaning against Sakura, hugging her. She reached up and touched the arms around her as she was unable to hug them back in their position. "I missed you guys!" she said tearfully. They returned the sentiment with two lip gloss-sticky kisses to her cheeks.

And that was how the three boys walked in on them, a mass of limbs and violent displays of affection.

Sasuke handed her a mason jar−because in this house, they used mugs and mason jars instead of teen-movie red plastic cups because they care about the environment−before sitting on the couch opposite from her because it was quite obvious he wasn't going to get his girlfriend back anytime soon.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and sat closer to the coffee table, and began to roll a joint. He worked with the expert fingers of someone who could do this even in their sleep. He tipped his chin towards Sasuke. "You ever tried one of these, kid?"

He shook his head in response before turning to Sakura with a look of surprise. This was it, she thought, she was shattering his expectations. She wondered how far he would let her go until he realized that he wasn't the girl he fell in love with anymore.

Shikamaru placed his finished product into his mouth momentarily just to light it, before handing it over to the young man. Sasuke only stared at it for a long moment, before taking it in between his fingers. He sniffed it cautiously and his nose crinkled in response. Chouji snickered and told him to ignore the foul, skunk-like smell.

Black met green and she meant to tell him not to force himself to smoke it if he didn't want to, but he's already brought the joint up to his mouth. His eyes were smoldering behind the thin rise of smoke and she felt her mouth run dry. He held her gaze as he inhaled, brows furrowing slightly from the burn, and lips parted as he breathed in deeper. He held it in for a moment before exhaling the smoke out of his mouth. It was the single most erotic thing she's ever seen.

And she should have expected this, him taking it like a pro. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't going to cough his lungs out like she had her first time, he already had a bad smoking habit. Nonetheless, he did cough up some smoke, but he still looked attractive doing it. Shit, he's too hot.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

Sakura held a mason jar of Temari's special concoction in one hand and half a blunt in the other. At this point in the night, they were all already slumped and sunken deep in the couches, their conversations going off on multiple tangents, laughing at nothing in particular, with both the TV and the radio playing at low volumes in the background.

Sasuke laughed a lot when he was high, and Sakura found herself falling in love with the sound. He was more laid back this way and she could see the boy that he truly was rather than the dignified Uchiha he was raised to be. Ino was talking fast and loud in her ear, and laughing even louder like she always did when she was high. Shikamaru had closed his eyes and retreated into his own space, humming to the music with an entirely different tune. Chouji was beginning to grumble about munchies, listing off all the food he was craving at the moment only to moan that it was too late for any restaurants to be open. Temari had her leg thrown over Sakura's thighs and she spoke slowly as she talked politics and existentialism. And Sakura tried to follow the conversations that were happening simultaneously around her, she really did. But all she could do was giggle.

She leaned against Ino, who shifted her position and opened her arms to receive her. She missed this. The carelessness, the irresponsibility.

One thing about being a teacher was that she felt that she was no longer allowed to indulge in these habits of hers, no longer allowed to misbehave. She was meant to be someone her students looked up to, after all, so she had to be a good example for the youth. And yet here she was, getting crossfaded with a student she was dating.

Sasuke excused himself and slowly rose from his seat, stopping abruptly and holding his hands out to steady himself. His surroundings must be spinning. With careful steps, he followed Chouji's instructions to find the bathroom. Ino's blue eyes followed him out of the room and once he was out of earshot, she held onto Sakura's arm tightly. "Forehead," she said excitedly. "You have to talk shit about your students right now. Come on, it's high school! There's always tea to spill!"

She thought hard about it. Her students' private lives wasn't something she was at liberty to share with her own friends just to gossip and poke fun−but she found herself talking about Class President Hyuuga anyway. She had taken quite a special interest in the boy, ever since his close friend Tenten began talking to her about how much she liked him but how painfully dense he was. Once, Tenten had straight up asked him to go out after school and Neji had brought his little cousin along because they usually went home together.

Sakura had grown really fond of the girl, who would usually stay after class just to chat with her. But dense as the boy was, the all-knowing teacher knew that he did harbor the same feelings towards Tenten, he was just too emotionally constipated to express himself properly.

Shikamaru snorted and Chouji said, "That reminds me of Ino and that guy−what was his name again?"

Ino was already fuming but Temari answered nonetheless, "Sai!"

They all burst into laughter, remembering how much effort Ino had put into getting him to notice her only for all her shots to be deflected.

By the time Sasuke returned, Temari had taken his spot and was cuddling with her boyfriend. Sakura patted the spot next to her and moved away from Ino to lean against him instead. She sighed comfortably as his arm went around her shoulders to hold her against him.

Soon enough, they were reminiscing about their own high school experiences. But there seemed to be a bias in her friends' storytelling since they all seemed to be centering around Sakura−hey, remember that time Sakura spray painted the principal's car after he told her to dye her hair a more natural color? Remember when Sakura was caught making out with an upperclassman in the janitor's closet? In second year, we broke into the school swimming pool at night and the cops came and Sakura decided to take one for the team. She became, like, a legend after that… among other things…

They seemed to be really keen on exposing this side of her to her boyfriend, so she pushed her face into the material of his sweatshirt to hide her reddening face, both from mortification and inebriation. So she wasn't the clean-cut high school girl she knew Sasuke thought she would be. But don't get it twisted; Sakura had graduated high school with flying colors. As much as she had been the school's top troublemaker, she had also been their top student. Which was really what made her such a threat, she thought smugly.

Sasuke listened intently to the stories. And now that he was more expressive than ever, she could clearly see the incredulity or fond amusement or, more often, the flat-out judgement on his face. And at some point, their positions had shifted and he now leaned against her, sunken in his seat with his legs outstretched and wide apart in front of him. He rested his head heavily on her shoulders and his laughter eventually died down into small hiccup-like chuckles.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked as they went deeper into the night.

Ino was already crying over her most recent breakup, Shikamaru and Temari were not-discreetly making out while they slow dance in a corner, and Chouji was already snoring on the other couch.

"'Mshleepy…" Sasuke grumbled.

She touched his face and cooed at him and Shikamaru tore his mouth from his girlfriend momentarily and told her to take him to his room to sleep it off. The couple held each other up, swaying as they went. Every movement they took felt too fast as the room continued to spin around them. They continued to sway and stumble and tumble until eventually they found the right door and gracelessly fell into Shikamaru's bed.

Sakura has never felt so good in her life, so comfortable in a bed. She must have elbowed Sasuke as they fell, but he just laughed.

She crawled onto his outstretched arm and laid her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest. His eyes were closed, his long, pretty lashes fluttering. She reached out and traced the strong line of his jaw with her index finger, going up to his high cheekbones. She cupped his cheek and turned his face so that he was facing her and his heavy eyes fluttered open slightly.

His arm underneath her curled against her back, his hand settling on her waist with his fingers just under her sweatshirt.

"Do you really love me?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. A quiet snort escaped him, then he nodded lazily. Through his heavy eyelids, she could see his dark eyes shining with the faintest hint of a smile. "But you don't even know me."

He moved to lie on his side so that he was facing her. This close, her eyes could only focus on his mouth. "I don't know you," he agreed, making her heart sink momentarily. His thumb brushed the skin above the waistband of her pants. The simple contact made her shiver. "But I want to."

"You're still the you that I know, in the ways that matter." He threaded his fingers through her hair as he spoke. She sighed pleasantly, sinking further into him. She could fall in love with him like this, she thought. "You're still the one who wiped my tears away when I scraped my knee. The one who taught me how to ride a bike. The one who held my hand when I was too scared to jump into the river. You made me soup when I was sick… gave me a failing grade in chem… gives me shit for skipping class…" His mouth turned up into a lazy, lopsided grin and she felt herself melting. "You're still the most annoying woman I know."

And she could feel her eyes watering. Gods, she was too high. "Why were you crying back then?" he whispered.

"Back when?"

"When I first told you…"

Oh. She could remember it vividly, how he'd found her crying in her car. He held her as she sobbed. This boy who loved her, holding her as she cried over his brother. And she had selfishly clung onto him then, much like she was selfishly clinging onto him now. He had also touched her as gently, as tenderly, as he was touching her now. "I… told Itachi how I felt about him."

"Oh." He seemed unperturbed, his eyes more focused on her mouth than what she was saying. The weight of the statement probably hadn't hit him because something else was hitting. The hand on her waist had gone considerably higher up her shirt, now tracing shapes on her abdomen. He dipped his head to nuzzle her neck, which made her giggle. Her skin tingled wherever his lips touched. "What's the hardest drug you've ever done?"

She paused thoughtfully. "I tried acid once…"

He gave a small laugh. "And here I thought you were an absolute nerd in high school, like nii-san."

"You're the nerd," she shot back, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

He looked at her for a long moment, the twinkling mirth in his eyes slowly shifting into something more devastating. He moved to lean over her and she let him push her onto her back as he hovered above her, the hand that had been cradling his face dropped to the side of his neck. She could feel the burning in his eyes, stirring reactions in her lower stomach.

They were too high, too drunk, too lost in sensations to think straight. We shouldn't, she thought, just as she pulled him down. We really shouldn't, she thought, as he slanted his mouth over hers and she held him close. The hands that caged her in moved to roam her body. His hands, touching everywhere, his tongue on her skin, it was a sensory overload. High as a kite, Sakura was nothing but a sensitive mass of nerves.

She felt a slight chill as her shirt bunched up over her chest though his hands didn't go higher than the band of her bra, but the cold was quickly remedied when he pressed himself flush against her.

Sasuke's breathing was hot and ragged as he found himself between her legs, his front pressed firmly against hers. She gasped at the contact, nails digging into his shoulder as she felt the hardness in his pants. They stilled for a moment, surprised by the sensation and how far they were going, but neither of them cared. He grabbed her by the neck and the action was enough to make her moan, to make her ache with want. He kissed her deeply and fully, fervently devouring her.

She gasped as he moved against her, grounding into her once more. But she didn't quite have him where she wanted him yet. She locked her thighs around his hips, halting his movements. She heard a small growl next to her ear and she swore she was soaked between her thighs. "Like this," she breathed. She wrapped her legs around him and crossed her ankles over his back. Then she pushed his hips into hers, angled so that she could feel his hard length right on her clit.

Sakura threw her head back in pleasure and almost immediately, she felt gentle nips along the sensitive skin. He moved back and forth between her legs, his hands gripping her hips tight enough to bruise. "Fuck," he rasped as he bowed into her neck. "Shit, Sakura."

Her mouth parted in a silent cry as he sucked at the skin above her collarbone, making her back arch involuntarily and pressing herself further against him. She moaned his name and his hand clamped down on her clothed breast, squeezing hard. Gods, she wanted him. Inside her.

Dry humping her student while they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol? How many lines had she crossed?

And yet she couldn't stop her hips from rubbing against him, following his rhythm. The way Sasuke gasped profanities harshly and groaned deliciously into her ear made it all the more harder for her to control herself.

She moaned loudly at a particularly hard thrust. His body stiffened for a moment, so minute that she didn't pay attention. Then he began holding her hips down as if to stop her from moving, but feeling him pin her down as he breathed hotly down her neck only made her want him more. She squirmed beneath him, desperate to feel him flush against her again. She was beginning to whine and whimper, and she heard him take a deep breath, before pressing his forehead against hers. And only at this proximity did she see the agonized look on his face.

Immediately, her arousal gave way to panic and worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly, voice thick with concern. She cupped his face gently in her hands.

"Yeah, I just…" The expression on his face was close to a grimace. "I don't think I can stop if we keep going."

She felt herself soften at that. "I'm not asking you to."

She brushed a thumb along his lower lip and she could see the conflict in his eyes, how he warred with himself for control. Finally, he held her hand away from his face, lowering it to the bed. "I want to be sober for this."

Her mouth parted in surprise. Suddenly, guilt and shame flooded through her. She hadn't even considered that, hadn't considered what this would have meant to Sasuke. He lowered himself to embrace her and she locked her hands over his back, holding him tight. "Me too," she said. "I'm sorry. I got… carried away."

Her inebriation caught up with her once again. She closed her eyes as the room began to spin and Sasuke rolled off of her and plopped down onto the bed. She could hear her friends' voices from the living room and their own heavy breathing. When she opened her eyes again, she tried not to look at the bulge straining painfully against his pants with so much yearning.

"I'm cold," she muttered instead, reaching out and feeling for Shikamaru's blanket. Sasuke sat up and picked it up from somewhere at the foot of the bed. He laid the blanket out on top of her and tucked it in at her sides before he started gently rolling her, turning her every which way. Before she could voice her confusion, he had finished and she'd realized how warm and snug she was in a blanket burrito. It felt like a tight hug.

"Stop," she cried, "I'm too high I'm actually gonna burst into tears if you give me affection."

He chuckled, rolling his eyes at her. Sasuke planted a kiss on her forehead before excusing himself to go the bathroom to… take care of something, she could only guess.

They were going to have one hell of a morning. But for tonight, she fell asleep with his arm and leg draped over her burrito.

* * *

**a/n**: didn't have the energy to proofread so i apologize for errors.

also, i realized that some people might not be comfortable with the use of recreational drugs in this chapter. i'm from california so this is pretty much the norm for me but i do understand that not all cultures are as open or accepting on the topic.


	13. thirteen

_**chapter thi rt ee n**_

Sasuke liked his girlfriend's friends. He had thought his own friends were a messy bunch, but they weren't nearly as wild as the people he'd just met. Naruto, Suigetsu, and Karin were merely dumb and immature, but Sakura's friends? These were people who would set cars on fire just for kicks. He could see it in their eyes, traces of rebelliousness from their youth. They only _mildly _triggered his fight or flight response.

In the aftermath of last night's little get-together, he was surrounded by quiet conversations, hushed tones, and tired droning, made better by the smell of bacon and the sound of oil sizzling as Chouji cooked breakfast. Next to him, Ino was toasting an entire pack of bread and Sakura made coffee. Across the table from Sasuke, Shikamaru lit a cigarette.

"Why are you smoking in here?" Sakura chastised, crinkling her nose in disgust.

Like it's the most natural thing in the world, she plopped down onto Sasuke's lap despite there being an open seat right next to him, cradling a steaming mug of coffee in her hands, and he couldn't help but think that there was no way his father would approve of any of this.

"It's my house," he muttered, smirking around the cigarette between his lips.

Just then, Temari finally joined them, still groggy and with her eyes barely open as she took a seat next to her boyfriend. One look at him and she was suddenly awake, eyes narrowed. "Why are you smoking in here?"

Sakura snickered and Sasuke hid his smile in her pink hair when Shikamaru visibly flinched, pouting as he tossed the stick into his empty mug.

He was starting to see Sakura in a new light, as well. Gone were his thoughts of a heartbroken high school girl quietly longing for his older brother, waiting for the summer and his return like a wife waiting for her husband to come home from the war. No, in Itachi's absence, Sakura was _living_, making the best of her teenage years. Gone, too, were his thoughts of the perfect girl, the friendly neighborhood onee-chan all the little kids looked up to and whom parents wished their own children would take after. No, he could see it now. The light in her bright green eyes, the mischief that always lingered there. Like she was always looking for danger, always craving the sweet rush of adrenaline.

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

The whole reason Sasuke had dragged Sakura all the way out to Suna was to have some time alone with her. To go out together without having to hide in the dimmest corner of the room or to walk hand-in-hand without constantly looking over their shoulders for prying eyes. But when Ino begged him to let her have her best friend for the rest of the day, he couldn't help but concede.

The weekend had started with a long drive from Konoha to Suna, then he'd gone on and spent hours cleaning up his family's abandoned summer house, played barista at the Harunos' shop, and hung out with Sakura's friends… being the introvert that he was, he needed some time to himself, some peace and quiet..

"I don't have to go," Sakura said as she walked him to his front door.

"Go," he insisted, grinning when she pouted, obviously feeling guilty at the idea of leaving him. He pulled her closer by the nape of her neck and pressed his lips to forehead. "I know you miss your friends," he murmured. "I'll be fine."

He leaned against the door and watched her go, chuckling when she kept on looking over her shoulder as she went. He didn't enter the house until her Jeep was out of sight and when he did, he found that it was colder in his home than it was outside. Cold, silent, and empty. It weighed on him especially since he came from Shikamaru's, where it was warm and loud and crowded.

The last time he was here, he was only a boy and he had been so happy, in the purest sense of the word. The last time he was here, his family had been complete. Fugaku would be in the back, tending to his garden, Mikoto would be seated at Madara's old piano by the bay window, and Itachi would be reading in his room. Now, he was alone in an empty house.

The air was still, the hardwood floors were cold, the call of the ocean and the cries of the seagulls were distant and hollow. Sasuke has never quite felt so alone. A small part of him regretted letting Sakura go, but a bigger part of him knew that this was something he had to do on his own, something she had no part of. So he went, wandering his neglected home like a ghost.

When they arrived, every surface of the house had been covered in dust and the whole place stank of moth balls, but now it faintly smelled like the Harunos' home. Like apples and the sweet summer, despite it being the middle of autumn. The scent gave him a bit of comfort as he reached Itachi's bedroom.

It was empty. But not because it's been cleared out and vacated after their parents' death, but because he'd always kept it bare even from before. There was a neatly-made bed, an empty closet, a single dresser, and absolutely no litter in sight. The only thing that indicated there was ever even a presence here was a book he'd left behind in the drawer of his bedside table.

Sasuke scoffed. It was just like Itachi to bring nothing but the bare necessities on a vacation. This space was immaculate, the complete opposite of what he'd found in his own room on the first night. There was actual soil at random spots on the floor, sand in his bed, a long-forgotten half-empty glass of water on the nightstand that's probably toxic by now, and wilted flower crowns under the bed.

He leaned against the doorframe to Itachi's room, somehow still feeling like he's intruding on his brother's privacy. His eyes unintentionally lingered on the empty bed. He remembered climbing into that bed with him in the middle of the night, little feet padding across the hall from his own room, dragging his blanket behind him, to snuggle with his older brother. Then suddenly, he remembered how Itachi and Sakura would sometimes shut him out and their mother would keep him occupied by asking him to help her prepare snacks.

Now, he wondered what the two of them talked about back then. He wondered if it had been in those small moments that Sakura fell in love with his brother. He wondered if they…

He immediately shook the thought out of his head and moved on to the next room, shutting the door behind him harder than he'd intended to.

At the end of the hall was the master's bedroom. His parents' bedroom. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door and took slow steps into the room. Unlike Itachi's, this was a room evidently lived in. A few of Mikoto's jewelry were still on the vanity, along with bottles of moisturizers and body lotions. In one of its drawers was a small box containing cufflinks, customized and expensive-looking; they were uchiwa fans, the ancient Uchiha family emblem. His brows furrowed as he inspected it further, still new and untouched. Then he realized that it was meant to be a gift for her husband.

He felt his throat tighten, then pocketed the box to give to Itachi when he got home.

He moved towards the closet, where several pieces of clothing were still hanging. He felt the soft material of a silken dress before burying his face in it. It still smelled faintly of his mother; a bit floral and a bit herbal like tea, something like a sweet perfume. Distantly, he tried to remember the last time he had been held by his mother−it had to be that day, right? The day of the accident…

Numbly, he pulled away and continued on in his exploration. The only room left was downstairs: Madara's study. In the summers, it was Fugaku's office and library. When he wasn't tending to his garden or relaxing with his wife on the engawa with frozen watermelon slices, he would be holed up in the study. But some afternoons, he would let his boys into the room, let them sprawl across the floor reading books. And some nights, when Itachi was small enough still, Fugaku would sit them down on his lap and tell them stories about their family history. About how their bloodline started from the very beginning of civilization; the Uchiha had been leaders, warriors, samurais, ninjas…

Sasuke remembered the stories fondly now, seated comfortably in his father's chair. The desk was neatly organized, with books and notebooks stacked on top of each other, small bottles of ink and expensive-looking pens, two family pictures at the corner. He began rummaging through the drawers and nearly choked when he pulled open the bottom one and found a half-empty bottle of whiskey and a box of condoms.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered under his breath when he checked the box and found that there were only three packets left. He winced, cringed, and practically jumped out of the seat shuddering.

He understood, of course. His parents were madly in love, even when they were considerably conservative in front of their children. However, as their son, he just could not afford to think of them as sexual beings

(fuck, they didn't do it on the desk, did they?!_)_

He tossed the box into the drawer and pulled his phone out from his back pocket. He couldn't be the only one suffering from the mental image, so he snapped a quick picture and sent it to Itachi. Just a photo, no text; no context needed. With one last shudder, he went out to the genkan, looking out into the backyard that stretched out to the shoreline.

('You were probably too young to remember but otou-san and okaa-san had a VERY active sex life' was Itachi's reply; Sasuke gagged.)

He was never one for meditation or yoga, but he was always one for silence and being comfortably alone. So he lowered himself onto the floor, crossed his legs and closed his eyes, and took deep breaths in time with the ocean's ebbing and flowing.

He had thought that being here would hurt, that he would see his mother and father all over the place and he would be overwhelmed with crippling emotion. But none of the hurt came, none of the grief. There was nothing, but it wasn't necessarily empty. He just felt _lighter_.

For five minutes, there was nothing but the breeze in his ear and the rolling and crashing of waves. Then there was a knock on the door that had him feeling like a dog excitedly wagging his tail at the thought of Sakura at his doorstep. And he visibly deflated when he opened it and found Shikamaru instead, holding up a grocery bag full of chips and soda bottles in greeting. "Yo. Heard you were all alone in your haunted mansion."

*＊✿❀ ❀✿＊*

The two of them spent the remainder of the afternoon back by the engawa with a shogi board between them. Sasuke sat with his legs crossed, glowering at the board, while Shikamaru sat comfortably, with his cheek pressed against his raised knee while his other leg dangled over the edge as he lifted his shogi piece and made his final move.

"You're not so bad," he drawled. He straightened his head and rolled his shoulders as the game came to a finish.

"You beat me twice in a row."

Shikamaru shrugged and motioned to the sky. Sasuke hadn't even realized how much time had passed until he saw the moon already there, when it had still been light out when they started their first game. "You put up a good fight," he said simply. Then he started picking up the empty bags of chips and bottles of soda to clean up, and Sasuke began putting away the board game.

"Did you really just come here to play shogi with me?" he asked after a while.

He gave another shrug. "Wanted to see if you were as good as the old man."

The old man? _Fugaku_? Seeing the confusion on his face, Shikamaru grinned mirthfully. "I used to come here when I was a kid," he explained. "My dad was a cop and some nights he would leave me here with his partner's brother. Madara was… kind of like a glorified babysitter. We would play shogi from hours on end−I only ever beat him twice."

Sasuke had never met either of his father's uncles, but he'd heard stories about Madara. He'd always imagined him to be great and intimidating, an imposing figure in the Uchiha family tree. So to hear this stoner refer to the revered man as a _glorified babysitter_, he choked on a laugh.

Shikamaru, he then learned, practically grew up around the two Uchihas. Izuna was his father's partner and mentor of sorts. Sasuke knew the story of the two brothers, of course. They were practically legends, especially in these parts of the country. They practically founded law enforcement in Suna.

Uchiha Izuna was a renowned detective and Uchiha Madara was a notorious prosecutor. They were the best damn duo the criminal justice system had ever seen.

"So, what're you going to university for, kid?" Shikamaru asked, shrugging on the coat he'd flung over an armchair in the living room upon his arrival. He reached into the pocket for a pack of cigarettes.

"Law," Sasuke answered automatically, like a learned response.

Shikamaru nodded slowly, looked him up and down, and frowned thoughtfully as he held an unlit stick between his lips. The older guy, who suddenly seemed wiser, grinned lopsidedly. "For someone who wants to get out of his shadow so bad, you sure like to follow in his footsteps."

It was a thought that remained in Sasuke's head long after Shikamaru left his home. The older man's words sat and simmered in his head.

Everything came back to Itachi. His career, his dream university, his girl−no, no, there was something wrong with that thought. Sakura wasn't _his _girl, she was nobody's girl. She was her own person. And Itachi had nothing to do with what he felt for her, these feelings weren't borne out of this one-sided competition. These feelings were his and his alone, and they were as real as anything could be.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Sasuke caught sight of light coming from Sakura's bedroom window and immediately made his way over. He jumped from Itachi's bedroom window and onto a tree that stood between the two houses. He spent a couple of seconds at a loss then, crouching on a branch, when he found that her window was shut and she wasn't even in her room.

It was a good thing that it didn't take long for her bedroom door to open. But he nearly lost his balance on his perch when she entered, seemingly fresh out of the shower with a towel around her shoulders as she dried her hair. She wore a thin tank top and booty shorts. He swallowed thickly. Thinking better of his midnight visit, he made to go back into Itachi's room but Sakura had already caught sight of him.

"Sasuke-kun!" she hissed, sliding her window open. "What are you−_get in here_! You might fall!"

She backed away from the window to give him enough space to catapult himself into her room. He landed with a heavy thud that made them both wince since her parents are already asleep. Crossing her arms over her chest, she motioned for him to take a seat on her bed while she finished up her nightly routine on her vanity table. "I just got back," she said, keeping her voice at a low volume. "I was going to knock at your door but I thought maybe you were already asleep. How was your day?"

He shrugged and went on about his uneventful morning while she rubbed a cotton ball along her cheeks and then all over her face. Then he told her about Shikamaru's visit, leaving out the remark that hasn't stopped replaying in his head.

He had no idea what it was she was rubbing into her skin or why, but he couldn't help but watch her in the mirror, eyes trained on her face and how delicately she touched herself. "I don't know why you have to go through all that," Sasuke said when she opened a third bottle of whatever it was she kept wiping her face with.

She scoffed, dipping her fingers into what he could now see was some sort of cream. "Why not? Because I already look beautiful just the way I am?" She gave him a playful look through the mirror and rolled her eyes. "You're my boyfriend, Sasuke-kun. It's your _job _to tell me that. Doesn't mean I need to stop taking care of myself."

They've been together for quite some time now, but his heart still leapt in his chest whenever she referred to him as her _boyfriend_. And yet…

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking note of his sudden silence.

"Nothing."

"Sasuke-kun," she said sternly.

He pointedly avoided her green eyes when she tried to meet his gaze in the mirror. Sighing heavily, he mumbled. "I don't know why you're with me. You love Itachi, not me."

The silence that followed his admission was deafening. He looked up again to see Sakura finishing up her skincare routine; back straight, lips tight, eyes forward and focused. Mere seconds seemed to stretch into hours before she finished and went to sit on the edge of her bed next to him.

"I'm sorry," she started. "It's been confusing for me and I know it is for you, too."

He knew this. He went into this knowing full well that she wasn't completely over his brother, but he was okay with waiting. That didn't make hearing this hurt any less.

"The truth is I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you," she continued. "I like how I feel when I'm with you. I always want you around and I always want to be close to you. And I get these feelings in my chest and the pit of my stomach and even in my fingertips−I just… it drives me crazy−_you_ drive me crazy! I've never felt this way before and it terrifies me… how much I want you…"

"And maybe that's enough to say that I love you, right?" Sakura's voice was thick with frustration by now, and he could see her eyes begin to well. Her lips trembled as she continued to speak and he reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, holding her tightly. "But there are things−things that I'm still unsure of. I've never been in a relationship where… Itachi isn't always in the back of my mind. I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's why I need to be sure. That when I say those words to you, I mean it."

She shifted in her seat and pulled his face into her hands, bringing his forehead to hers. This close, he could see the moisture on her lashes, could smell the soothing fragrance of her face cream and feel the coolness of her skin from her shower. "You're so important to me," she said softly.

He cupped her face, thumbs brushing away the tears that rolled from the corners of her eyes. "Don't cry, it's okay."

"No, it's not!" she whined.

Not sure of what else to say, he pressed his lips to her forehead instead. Her hands slid down to grip the front of his sweatshirt as he kissed her eyes, then her tear-stained cheeks, until his nose was skimming her nose and his mouth hovered over hers. She was trembling in his hold and the memory of the night of his first confession, which seemed so long ago now, wasn't lost on him.

But unlike last time, it was Sakura who closed the gap now. The kiss was soft and tender, their lips sliding over each other in light brushes. Until images of last night came flooding back to him−his hands all over her heated skin, their bodies flush against each other, his hard-on grinding into her hot core, and her, writhing beneath him, wanting and needy.

The next thing he knew, she was on her back and his hand was gliding along her thigh, feeling up the curve of her hip until he could feel her stomach tighten against his palm under her top. "I should go," he mumbled against her mouth.

"You should," she agreed, even as she continued kissing him and pulling at his hair. Breathing in deeply, she nipped and tugged on his lower lip before reluctantly pushing him away. She immediately pulled herself up to a sitting position, exhaling loudly as she pulled her knees up to her chest while Sasuke rolled onto his back and tried to ground himself.

"Go on, lover boy!" she slapped his knee lightly and shoved him off of her bed as soon as he sat up. More softly, she murmured, "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun…"

They had agreed to take things slow, but how slow is _slow_? Sasuke braced himself against either side of the window and willed himself to calm down, to think with the head on top of his shoulders. He lifted one foot onto the window sill and prepared to jump onto the nearby branch, his mind already made. He turned for one last look at Sakura and found her still seated at the edge of her bed, looking at anywhere else but him, cheeks flushed as she touched her fingertips to her lips. Instead of climbing out, he lowered his foot to the ground and slid the window shut.

She jumped to her feet, eyes wide in surprise, and just as she was about to ask what he was doing, he had already cupped the nape of her neck and crushed their mouths together. And despite her initial shock, he felt her melt against him and her mouth almost immediately molded against his; meeting him just as hungrily and just as frenzied as her hands gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer against her.

Sober was what he had wanted to be last night, before things went too far. But standing here now, in the middle of her room with her in his arms and his tongue sliding against hers, he was starting to feel lightheaded. Getting drunk off of her taste, off of her smell, off of the way she touched him.

With a shuddering breath, Sakura tilted her head to the side to break away from the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, stilling him in her embrace. Squeezing his eyes shut and struggling to get a grip on himself, he lowered his face into her shoulder and hugged her back, only tighter. Feeling her heaving chest against his and the pounding of her heart under his hand as he rubbed her back, he knew that there was no more _waiting _at this point. The gravity of the moment dawned upon them.

She pulled back slightly, just enough that she could see his face. Placing her hand on his cheek, a shiver ran down his spine when the pad of her thumb traced his lower lip, moving back and forth as her gaze lifted from his mouth to meet his eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, which only made her chuckle humorlessly. There was a severity to her tone when she added, "I need to hear you say it, Sasuke-kun. I don't want to do something… we'd end up regretting."

"You don't want to?"

"I do−god, I do!" she answered quickly, as if recognizing the insecurity in his voice. "I just… I don't want you to regret anything. It's your first time and it's supposed to be… well, _special_…"

Unable to help himself, he let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head slightly, which brought a small frown to her face. Annoying, as always. Didn't she know? Didn't she understand? He's wanted this for so long. He's wanted her for so long and loved her for even longer. Bringing his forehead against hers once again, he looked deeply into her eyes as he said, "There's no way I'm going to regret anything with you."

She wanted this, too. He could tell by the glazed look in her eyes, the parting of her swollen lips, her chest heaving and her nipples poking through the thin fabric of her top. The hand on her back slowly slid down to her waist. "Can I touch you?" he murmured against her lips.

"Yes," she whispered.

Sasuke moved his hand up her stomach and closed over her clothed breast. Her head fell forward, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as she whimpered softly while he kneaded her soft mound and squeezed her hardened nipple between his fingers. And it was unbelievable how soft she was, even more how sensitive she was to his touch. He could go on like this forever, playing with her tit and listening to the small sounds she was trying to hide under his skin.

With a shuddering breath, she took a step back, away from his touch. "We need to be quiet," she said. "My parents are in the next room."

And he stood frozen in rapt attention as she made quick work of her flimsy night clothes until she was stark naked before him. She only gave him a split second to appreciate the raw, naked beauty before him before she was on him again, hands at the hem of his own sweatshirt, mouth mashing against his and only breaking away to lift his shirt over his head.

He could barely keep up with what was happening−between her mouth and her tongue and her teeth and her hot breath on his skin, her hands seemingly everywhere all at once… until they're wrapped around each other, bare skin against bare skin against soft sheets as they stumbled into her bed.

She shoved him flat on his back with her palms on his chest, effectively breaking their heated kiss. Despite her evident arousal, he could still see the slightest apprehension in her lustful green eyes and hesitation in the set of her shoulders. "Are you sure about this?" she asked again.

He almost felt the slightest twinge of guilt because while she continued to strain against her self-control, he was already in heaven, gifted with the view of Sakura on top of him. She was beautiful, absolutely ethereal. Her pink hair was a messy halo around her head, a light flush ran from her shoulders down to her heaving chest and his hands itched to grope at her perky breasts again. But even more, he wanted to reach lower; to feel the tuft of hair between her legs, further down to pretty pink lips and into a dripping hot core.

"I'm sure," he replied thickly. "We've waited long enough."

She hesitated for a second more, then she pressed herself against him and brushed her lips lightly against his, before trailing kisses all over his skin. He lost herself to the sensation of her hands and mouth all over his body, her stiff nipples sliding down his stomach. When he met her eyes again, she was already further down, nestled between his legs. A loud groan escaped him and she was quick to shush him with her index finger to her lips and a hard squeeze on his shaft. He clenched his jaw tight.

Pre-cum was already leaking from his slit and she swiped her thumb over his tip and began moving her hand up and down his length. He threw his head back and clutched at the sheets tightly, his entire body straining just from holding his voice down. She gave him a few more pumps and through half-shut eyes, he watched her tuck her hair behind her ears as her open mouth hovered over him. But just her breath on the head of his cock was enough to send shivers up his spine and make him squirm where he laid, so he quickly reached out before she pushed him over the edge. "Don't," he bit out through gritted teeth. "I don't think I'm gonna last if you do that."

She retreated understandingly, hands caressing his thighs soothingly as she straightened up. "Are you ready?" she asked quietly.

"Hold on." He practically stumbled out of bed to pick up his discarded pants. He fished for his wallet where he kept the condom Kiba had given him before. And he felt eyes on intently on him as he ripped the foil packet and rolled the rubber over his sensitive member. He turned and found Sakura already lying on her back.

Her legs parted as soon as his knees hit the mattress and she licked her lips in anticipation as he loomed over her. "What?" he asked, when her lips suddenly spread into a sheepish grin.

"I feel like it's my first time," she murmured, almost bashfully. Again, he was taken aback by how beautiful she looked, lying before him and looking up at him so lovingly, his for the taking.

Taken by a primal urge, Sasuke caged her in and kissed her like he could devour her whole. He kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue against hers sloppily. The hands that ran up and down her body stilled with a tight grip on her hips once she started grinding against him. A low growl, an unfamiliar sound to his ears, rumbled in the back of his throat as he pinned her hips down to keep her still.

He wanted to feel her more, all of her. He wanted to leave his mark on every inch of her skin and her soft whimpers only egged him on as his mouth moved lower. He sucked one breast into his mouth, tongue circling an erect nipple, while he squeezed and tugged at the other. She was writhing underneath him, pressing the back of her hand over her mouth to keep quiet. He nipped and sucked his way across her chest, using his mouth on both of her tits while his empty hand moved lower to cup her sex.

She let out a shaky breath as he trailed a finger along her pussy lips. Inexperienced as he was, he wasn't quite sure what exactly to do with his fingers, how exactly to touch her there and where. He simply went by the itch to sink deeper into her heat, into her wetness, into her… "Can I put it in?"

She nodded eagerly and he tapped his sheathed cock against her pussy like he'd seen them do in porn, and she bit her lip to bite down a moan and started moving up and down his length. "Please…"

She clasped both hands over her mouth to muffle her moan as he slid into her, stretched her, filled her. But he couldn't fight the unfamiliar sounds coming from his own mouth at the sensation that enveloped his entire body, feeling her around him as he sank into her tight, hot, wet pussy that seemed to be pulling him in. "Is this… alright?" he gritted out.

"Yes!" she gasped, hands reaching out to grab at his hips. "Keep going."

She pulled him down over her, locking their lips as if to swallow each other's moans.

They went slow. Not because he didn't want to snap his hips sharply into hers, drive into her hard and fast−because he did, holy _fuck_, he did! But the slightest of movements could cause the bed frame to knock into the wall and they couldn't afford to make a single noise. But slow wasn't bad, not at all. He ground his hips into hers and he could feel her clamp down on him, feel her walls flutter around him with each deep thrust.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that it would ever feel this way. They were intertwined, every bit of him connected to her; their legs tangled, their fingers interlocked, her chest pressed against his, her nails sinking into his back, his mouth attached to the pulse at the side of her neck and her mouth moaning breathily into his ear. He shifted in his position slightly and he must be hitting all the right spots this time because she struggled harder to hold her voice in.

"Sasuke-kun," she mewled. "God, you feel so good!"

"I'm close−" he rasped. He bit into her shoulder and she only tightened around him.

"It's okay, come whenever you want!" Her hand snaked down between them and he could feel her touching herself, rubbing furiously at her clit. He fucked into her harder, barely pulling his hips back as he moved inside her.

Every part of her tightened as they reached their climax; her fingers between his, her pussy around his cock, her stomach flexing under him. Sasuke fought against every impulse to let his eyes slip shut as he stilled his hips as he came inside her, to see her come undone. And it was an image that would forever be burned into his memory: her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth parted in a silent cry, her face twisted in absolute rapture, and her back lifted in a graceful arch.

Then every tensed muscle in their bodies loosened and they collapsed into a boneless heap of sweaty flesh. He rolled off of her after a moment, careful not to fall off her small bed. Mind blown and still in disbelief, the sound of his ragged breathing and the intense pounding in his chest was deafening to his own ears. He was breathless, speechless, mind completely empty…

His breath hitched when he felt nails lightly gliding across his abdomen as she reached down to the base of his dick. He held his breath when she carefully pulled off the condom, then left the bed to discard it in a nearby trash can.

"Was that okay?" he whispered unsurely. Insecurity set into him as he came down. Did he do it right? Did she actually orgasm or did she fake it for his sake? What if, out of all the men she'd slept with, he was the worst? _Fuck_, was he supposed to eat her out?

But Sakura only smiled brilliantly, and he could see that wide smile and the gleam in her eyes long after she'd turned the lights off. She threw the covers over them and rolled into his side. "It was perfect," she said, with a peck to his cheek. "Was it good for you, too?"

Letting out a deep breath of relief, he only nodded, unable to speak any further. He turned on his side and enveloped her in his arms. Their bodies were slick with sweat but they laid wrapped in each other's warmth on the cold autumn night. Burrowing his face into her chest, Sasuke didn't want to think about how easy everything had come for them−how _perfect _it all was. After all, nothing has ever gone smoothly in his life.

* * *

**a/n**: HAPPY SASUKE DAY! happy birthday to the love of my life since i was five (5) years old.

it's been too long, mb. but i hope recent developments made the wait worthwhile. ;)

i got quite a surge in reviews at the beginning of quarantine and i just wanna say thanks for reading and i hope i've given you entertainment in these complicated times. i hope you guys are continuing to take care of yourselves and keep safe!


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